


Core Issues: Origins

by Nicolle



Series: Core Issues [5]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Army!Frisk's original adventure Underground!, Does not require you to read any part of the rest of the Core Issues Series.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-10-18 12:48:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 53,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10617240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nicolle/pseuds/Nicolle
Summary: Frisk Emily Church, honorably discharged after a military service she'd rather forget, is hired to investigate a set of disappearances on Mt. Ebott. While examining a cave entrance, the rocks at the edge of a long shaft give way under her feet...





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Core Issues: Origins  
> By Nicolle
> 
> YOU DO NOT NEED TO READ ANY PART OF THE CORE ISSUES SERIES FOR THIS FIC!  
> That said, if you have read series, you'll have fun picking out all the Easter eggs!
> 
> I've had a lot of people asking for this and the more I thought about it, the more I realized I wanted to write it. Here's Army!Frisk/Church's adventure in the underground. If you've stumbled on this and haven't read any of Core Issues, that's fine. No extra reading is required! I will have a different narrator for each chapter, and who's speaking will be clearly marked. Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: Undertale is the creation of Toby Fox. Gaster!Sans is the the creation of Borurou/NatNat. This story is copyrighted to me.
> 
> 1\. This story is rated T for language, suggestive jokes/themes, and violence.

Chapter One, Part One  
(Asriel is our narrator!)

The loud banging on my front door jarred me from a nap. "Your Highness! Your Highness!"

I stood, the book in my lap hitting the floor as I lurched from my chair. I yawned and rubbed my left horn, grimacing at the ache. Both horns where growing a bit and it was never the most pleasant feeling. I wandered into the hall and opened the door to find a swarm of Froggits, Vegetoids, Migosps, Whimsums, Looxes, and spiders.

"A human fell! A human fell!"

I held onto the door so as not to be blown back by the force of the statement. I waved my hands to calm them. "Alright, alright. I'll go get them."

"No! No!" A Whimsum cried. "It screamed and now it isn't moving! It's leaking a red liquid all over the flowers!"

"Oh no." I waved them aside. "Make way! There isn't much time! I'll need spider cider!" 

The crowd moved and I ran from the house, past the tree of black bark that refused to properly leaf, through the Ruins to my mother's grave. I stopped dead at the portcullis and stared at the scene. A young, adult woman with long, brown hair appeared to be sleeping among the golden flowers I'd poured my mother's dust over so long ago. The light that trickled down from the cave entrance far above bathed her in a soft glow as a red pool of blood gathered under her. Rushing forward, I knelt next to her, feeling for a pulse on her neck. I let out a held breath in relief. She was still alive, but her pulse was very, very weak, her breathing too shallow. 

"The cider!" I called, hand out. Several spiders ran over with a jug of spider cider and I carefully tipped some past her pale lips, rubbing her throat to help her swallow. Some color returned to her ashen skin, but the wound causing her to bleed would not close without help. I carefully reached two fingers under her head and came away with a handful of blood. The back of her skull was smashed, the skull over it barely keeping everything in place. Using magic, I lifted her body so that her head and neck were supported and gently carried her back to my home. 

Several Froggits hopped ahead, one opening the door to the house, and another opening the door to my laboratory. I laid the woman on the table and quickly pulled together an IV drip of a special concoction that would help heal her while I washed up and gloved. 

"She has so much LOVE," one of the Whimsums whimpered. 

I looked to the group of monsters crowded at the door and then looked down at the woman. I blinked, staring at her for a moment, before feeling like I'd been punched in the chest. How does anyone have a level that high? I shook my head, and realized I'd neglected to pull my hair back. "It doesn't matter. I won't let her die." I looked to the spiders as I pulled on a surgical mask. "If a few of you would be kind enough to pull my hair back, I would greatly appreciate it."

Several spiders crawled up my legs to my back. I was pretty sure my hair would be less pulled back and more work of art when they were finished, but that wasn't something to really complain about. I'd need to remember to pay them for the cider later.

And with that, I set to work.

A few hours later, the human was stable and I leaned against the counter behind me, exhausted. I'd been forced to cut the long braid from the back of her head in order to cut away the flesh and position the broken pieces of her skull. By some miracle, her brain wasn't damaged, but I worried that even the small movement of her skull might have caused serious harm. I wouldn't know for a few hours. 

Her spine had broken in two places under a horrific gash that was probably going to give me a few nightmares. She must have slid down part of the cavern wall on her fall. Several cracked ribs had put pressure on her lungs. Setting them with magic had gone well. Both of her legs were very cleanly broken, and I worked to set the bones first lest they heal improperly under my magic and need to be broken again. Interestingly enough, both arms, wrists, and hands were fine, just scraped and bruised. Over all, it helped that she was in amazing physical condition before the fall. It meant that she'd not only live, but would be back on her feet pretty quickly, provided her brain hadn't been damaged.

I pulled off my gloves and mask, tossing them into a biohazard box, before covering the human with a sheet and then a thicker blanket to keep her warm. She was still pale, but color would come back to her as the medicine worked it's own magic on her. Her face was thin around the eyes, round at the cheeks, and came to a small pointed chin. She wasn't wearing any jewelry though she did have obvious piercing holes in her ears and the left side of her nose. I tucked the blanket around her to help keep her legs slightly elevated before, trudging to the living room, and collapsing into my chair. Several Vegetoids brought me a plate of greens.

"Thank you."

"Are you all right, Your Highness?" a Loox inquired.

I nodded. "Yes. Just exhausted," I managed between bites.

"What are you going to do about her LOVE?"

I frowned. While working to save the woman, I'd been careful to concentrate directly on the task and not think about her level. Or why she had climbed the mountain. Had she slipped at the edge like a few of those who'd fallen before her? Had she willfully jumped like my brother? Or had she been pushed? Regardless of the circumstances of her arrival on the bed of golden flowers that marked my mother's final rest, the human's LOVE had to be checked. Someone that violent could not be allowed to roam the Underground without a guarantee of behavior. And I had an unusual, but ready to use, solution for the problem.

In my lab was something I'd been working on for a long while: an artificial intelligence. One meant to bond with a physical being via implant. It was based on the personality and memories of my brother Chara, who died too young in a fight with a cancer no one seemed to know how to heal. It was the reason I'd chosen medical school. I'd wanted to find a way to cure him, but... It'd been far too late. The AI was ready, and could be used to keep the woman from acting violently. 

But... attaching it to someone without their consent? The woman's LOVE was high, but did that really give me a right to alter her body so radically? I looked to the monsters who lived with me her in the Ruins and looked to me as their Prince.

A right? Maybe not. A duty? Yes. Most definitely. If I wasn't going to kill her outright and bare that LOVE myself, then I'd better damn well do something. 

I sighed. How does anyone have that much bloodshed to their name? How does that much red wash any person's hands?

I finished the plate of greens and set it on the table before heading back to the lab. Digging through the clothing I'd cut off of her in order to perform surgery, I found a phone and a wallet. The phone's screen was cracked, so I didn't have much hope for it, but gave it a try anyway. It turned on, the screen lighting up, but required a password to unlock. I set it aside for the wallet, which was much more informative. Frisk Emily Church, born January 4th, 1995. Twenty-two? She was twenty-two years old? I knew that was a full grown adult for humans, but to have that high a level at that age? The ID listed her as a veteran. There was a military serial number under her name: A986-42 S.O.P.V. I put the wallet down and checked her vitals. She slept deeply in a magically induced coma, face peaceful, if quite pale from blood loss if the photo on the ID was anything to judge by. She shivered a little and I pulled an extra blanket from a cupboard to cover her. 

While the crowd of monsters had mostly dispersed as the evening grew late, a few remained watching from the door.

"What will you do, Highness?"

"After a nap, I'm going to install the AI I've been working on in her head. It will block any violent tendencies."

The monsters looked at each other, but didn't question my decision. Another sign of their faith in me. I looked back down at the woman. January 4th, huh? That would make her a Capricorn like Chara. You have goat to be kidding me. I snorted at my own poor joke and left the lab. A few of the monsters followed me, but the rest remained at the door, watching the human sleep. Finding my fallen book, I turned back to reading it until my eyelids grew heavy.

"Your Highness!" A Whimsum whispered in one long ear. "The human is awake!"

I yawned and rubbed my temples before standing. I took a glance at the clock and groaned. It was two in the morning. The monsters had gathered at the door to the lab, though none had entered. I walked in and looked down at the woman. Her eyes followed me from the door, looking bleary and tired. Getting up close, I could see those eyes were a dark, stormy blue. I smiled a little, gently squeezing her hand. "You're about to go back into surgery. If you close your eyes, you'll go back to sleep and the anesthesia will keep you under." 

She wrapped her fingers around mine weakly, smiling a little, before closing her eyes. After making sure she was under, I pushed the wheeled bed to the back of the lab. I washed up, sterilized the lab, sterilized the equipment, and washed up again. I turned her on the table, resting her face down on a pillow with a hole in it so she could breathe while her head was comfortably supported. Gently touching her head, I felt around her brain with magic. It was functioning normally. I let out a relieved sigh.

The IV drip had certainly done its job. The back of her head had healed well. Some of her hair had even grown back. I carefully shaved it away. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly behind my mask, I made the first cut.

A few hours later, I put the AI chip in place and activated it. The implants under her skin lit up a bright blue, indicating that they were working properly. I nodded to myself and gently turned her on her side, switching out the pillow with the hole for one that would cradle her head and neck while she slept. Unlocking the wheels, I pushed the bed out of the lab and into my childhood bedroom. Making sure the woman was firmly covered, I went back to the lab to clean and throw my tools in the sterilizer. In a few hours, she'd wake up and be very hungry. And it was just enough time to make butterscotch-cinnamon pie.

 

Chapter One, Part Two  
(Chara is our narrator!)

Az's fear roused me from sleep. Asriel Dreemurr scared? Of what? 

My brother was an insanely powerful boss monster. Even as a child, he'd displayed almost god-like power. It took all mom and dad had had in them to discipline his use of magic, though I think what really spurred him to peaceful mastery had been how easy it would have been for him to hurt me. And all he ever wanted was to save me.

A human had fallen. I could sense the body above the flowers that'd acted as my perch and gave my soul a place to rest and sleep. Sleeping is what I did the most of. I wasn't much use to anyone as a disembodied soul, though I could possess another human if I tried. Speaking of which, the human lying above me appeared, by size at least, to be an adult. An adult that had a lot of LOVE and not the good kind. And if I knew Az, well, he wasn't going to let someone die over that. Which wasn't exactly a safe thing for the monsters in the Underground. 

I entered the human's body, letting my soul fill it like a vessel... only to blink as I looked around.

Wait. Blinked? I was a body-less soul. I couldn't...

I stared down at myself in disbelief. I had a body. I touched my hands and then my face before looking down at myself. I was wearing the same green and darker green striped shirt and long, black pants I wore the day I died. I spied a large picnic table under a near tree. I ran to it, placing my hands on the rough surface. 

Picnic table?

I looked around. I stood in a forest clearing on the top of a hill overlooking a vast, dark ocean. The overcast sky darkened as the clouds continued to bunch together and threaten to storm. I turned and found a log cabin behind me. The brown wood of the walls and roof looked freshly stained, bright even, in the gathering gloom. Four large windows high over the door reflected the churning, gray clouds in the sky. I tried the door and found it unlocked.

I opened the door and found a large living room. Military awards and honors hung next to portraits on three of the walls, each of the walls dedicated to a different person: one to an older man, one to an older woman, and one to a young woman. The fireplace wall and mantle were covered in pictures of the three together, a family. The young woman pictured all around lay on the floor in front of the dying embers of the fireplace. She wore a long blue dress edged in white lace, with a lace shawl wrapped around her shoulders.

Kneeling next to her, I touched her face; thin around her eyes, round in the cheeks, and ending in a pointed chin. This was her. The human I was possessing. She didn't match the level of violence I saw. I looked around the cabin. I could see a kitchen through a doorway and a hallway back toward what I assumed where bedrooms. Was this her psyche? 

Another door caught my eye. It appeared to be a door into a basement. Carved on the front was a green snake, reared up, mouth open, fangs bared, ready to strike. I shivered. That was it. That's were her LOVE was hidden. 

Az was talking to her, mumbling under his breath as he was want to do when he worked. It pulled my attention from the door and back to the woman. Her hands clasped over her stomach, she appeared as if she were being laid out for a funeral. Az offered her explanations of her injuries, their treatment, and comfort. I took the woman's hand in my own, gently stroking her arm as I repeated Az's words. As my brother worked, color slowly returned to the woman's face, taking her from too pale to a tawny kind of brown. 

There was a point were Az stopped talking and the woman on the floor seemed to be breathing easily, her fingers wrapping around mine. Putting an arm under her shoulders and another under her knees, I found her easy to lift, which made a kind of sense. As a body-less soul and a representation of psyche, neither of us had anything close to a real weight. Going down the hall, I found two large rooms and one small one. kind of like a house with two master bedrooms. 

The first large room appeared like an office with an area for physical training to one side. Another version of the woman I held sat at the desk wearing what appeared to be a navy blue dress uniform, chin resting in her hand while she slept. The second large room was filled with a ton of arts and crafts materials. Framed pencil and ink drawings covered the walls while fabric piled high on sewing tables and spilled from drawers. Neatly arranged skeins of yarn filled bookshelves. A picture window with a nook was set in one wall surrounded by piles of books and an old fashioned radio. Another version of the woman wearing what appeared to be layered skirts in cream and pale pink under a heavy, spring green sweater lay in the nook, sleeping. 

The last room, and the smallest, was a proper bedroom. A floral pattern wallpaper covered the walls around a four poster bed with canopy. I pulled the big, patchwork quilt back, and laid her on the bed. After tucking her in, I looked around. The whole room was very old fashioned. A cedar chest, with a huge crochet doily on top,rested at the bottom of the bed. A small, white chandelier hung in the middle of the room, a few crystals hanging from it. A dresser painted baby blue rested next to a white rocking chair with a blanket of crocheted granny squares hanging off of it. A framed mirror hung on the wall next to the door.

Heading back toward the living room, I went into the kitchen, and a complete departure from the decor of the rest of the place. The black and white, checkerboard tile floor gleamed under the cabinets and drawers, both top and bottom of which were white metal. The counter tops were bright red to match the bright red fridge and the bright red chairs next to the bright red of the small, kitchen table. A black cat clock ticked away over the sink, eyes moving back and forth, tail swinging, but lacking actual hands to tell time. There weren't any versions of the woman in here.

I went back into the living and stopped in front of what I assumed was the basement door. The one with the snake burned into the wood. Even before I reached for the door knob, I could feel it: a deep and ever lasting cold. I paused before opening the door.

Her LOVE was behind that door. Every violent, every awful, and every terrifying thing this woman had ever done, was behind this door. I took the knob in my hand and turned it, eyes half shut in case it was truly gruesome. 

It was a staircase. A plain, wooden staircase painted a plain gray-blue with white walls leading down. There was a light bulb just over my head, naked and dark. When I flipped the light switch on the wall, nothing happened. The light remained off. Even so, I didn't exactly need it to see. The area was lit, though no means of illumination was apparent. I stepped inside the door and took six steps down before coming face to face with the woman.

Where the ones upstairs had appeared serene in their sleeping expressions, this one was awake. And her face was utterly expressionless but for the intensity of her dark blue eyes. There was no curiosity there. No interest. Only a single minded purpose of profound intensity. I fell backwards, scrambling a little on the stairs, before managing to turn and run. As soon as I was off the stairs, I slammed the door shut, leaning against it in the hopes that I could keep whatever I'd just seen from coming out and knowing that the act of doing so was useless. 

But the door didn't budge. The woman in the basement did not attempt to come any further up the stairs. Instead, I could hear the foot steps retreating. I relaxed a little. That one had been wearing a black uniform, the green snake embroidered on the shoulder. All the cold that emanated from the door had come from her directly. I slid down to the floor, clasping my arms around my legs and resting my head on my knees, shaking a little.

After I few minutes, I moved away from the door and the cold seeping from it to sit in front of the fireplace. The embers that'd been dying before were now bright, the flames lively on new logs. 

What was that? For as terrified as I'd been, she didn't seem like she was going to hurt me. She just didn't want me to go down the stairs. 

I wasn't sure how long I sat there, watching the fire as the wood popped and cracked. I only noticed the light around me change as the storm outside subsided. The room lightened and I walked over to look out the window. The world that'd been gray and stormy now appeared green and fresh. 

I'd possessed the other fallen humans for a short time when each came, mostly as a way to check on Az and see how things were going before returning to my perch in the golden flowers and sleeping. None of their minds had looked like this. In most cases, it'd only been empty space. Well, that wasn't the right description. It was more of a pleasant kind of relaxed darkness. Listening through their ears and seeing through their eyes had been easy. 

I closed my eyes, still not used to having eyes again, and concentrated, remembering how I possessed the others.

Oh.

I wasn't actually possessing her. I was just in her head. That made a lot more sense. 

Thinking about it a little, I moved to full possession and listened through her ears. The voices came through, sounding distant.

"What will you do, Highness?"

"After a nap, I'm going to install the AI I've been working on in her head. It will block any violent tendencies."

AI, huh? Good idea. A nap wasn't a bad idea either. I sat on the couch and yawned. Staring at my hands for a moment, I wondered if I'd have had a 'body' in the other possessions had I gone directly to their head instead of just using the eyes and ears. Wait. How had I been hearing Az before? Why did I have to concentrate on it now? With that thought, I nodded off.

And woke up when the woman in the blue dress sat next to me. She looked beyond tired, her head bobbing a little as she kept nodding off. I reached out to take her hand and heard Az speaking. Oh. This was how I'd heard him.

"You're about to go back into surgery. If you close your eyes, you'll go back to sleep and the anesthesia will keep you under." 

It was time already? I stood and helped the woman stand, taking her back to the room and putting her in bed. She returned to her deep sleep and as she did, the world appeared to darken around me, like the sun was setting and night called. I went back to the living room and stopped dead in the entryway. The wall in front of me appeared to have the pointed end of a massive scalpel slicing into it to make an incision. The scalpel pulled away and a wire came through. And another. And another. 

As each wire entered, they glowed an almost neon blue before disappearing completely. This must be how the AI connected to her. I stepped forward and touched one of the wires before it disappeared. The glowing blue moved across my skin. I touched the next with the same effect. I stepped back and concentrated, possessing her bodily, and came out of it screaming, pressing my hands into my face. My knees buckled and I hit the floor. 

That... That was painful.

And stupid.

From where I lay, the wires easily touched me before disappearing and even through my bleary consciousness I could feel a connection developing. The artificial intelligence Az had developed was based on his memories of me. I looked at the cold door with the snake burned into the wood. How about it really being me? I'd mean pretending to not be myself, but then, who'd expect a long dead human to still be hanging around?

I waited for Az to finish, patiently sitting as the minutes ticked by into hours. When implant was finally in place, and the chip connected, I reached inside.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two  
(Frisk is our narrator!)

Where was I?

I didn't recognize this room. It wasn't a hospital room. It looked more like a guest room, or maybe a child's bedroom. A child's drawing of a flower hung on the wall behind my head.

I squeezed my eyes shut, concentrating. The last thing I remembered was the doctor, I think it was the doctor, telling me I was going into surgery, which means I survived the fall and someone had found me in time to get help. I rolled from my side to my back and sat up with a jolt, pressing my fists against my eyes. Oh God... It felt like someone had jabbed a million needles into the back of my head!

A voice wrapped around the inside of my ear. "Woah there! Don't move around so much. You're still healing."

My hands dropped to my lap, still fisted, eyes squeezed shut, and breathing slowly to get the pain under control. "Where am I? What hospital is this?"

"You are currently several hundred feet under Mt. Ebott and this isn't a hospital. It's Prince Asriel Dreemurr's home."

I blinked and looked around for the person talking to me. I saw no one, and looked for a camera or a speaker. Nothing. "Where are you? Who are you?"

"Ah yeah. I need to explain that part. I'm C, an artificial intelligence based on the personality of Chara Dreemurr, Asriel's late brother. And I'm talking to you from inside your head."

"Impossible."

"Yeah. Remember that pain from sitting up? That was because you rolled back onto my implant. You know what? Let's short cut this. Have a look at the cabin in your head. I'm sitting on the deck off the front."

The cabin in my...? My safe place? I closed my eyes and thought of the cabin I'd constructed with the help of the unit psychologist before I'd first been sent into combat. A brown haired, teen boy wearing a green striped shirt and long, dark pants sat on the edge of the deck, swinging his legs a little. His eyes were blood red.

He waved. "Hey."

I shook my head for a moment and looked in a mirror hanging on the wall. There were strange blue lines under my skin coming up to cup the edges of my cheeks in the back. Turning my head, I saw that my hair had been cut away and a chip of some sort was attached to my neck. I reached up to touch it.

"Wait! Don't!"

I hissed in pain, pulling my hand away.

"Yeah. It's going to hurt for a bit."

I grimaced, eyes squeezed shut in pain. "Why do I have you attached to my head?"

"To keep you from killing people."

I hissed again. "I didn't realize that was an issue."

"Well, you have killed a lot of people."

I blinked and sat there, staring at myself. I didn't really have anything to say to that.

No. Wait. This didn't add up.

"You said I was under the mountain and I'm not in a hospital. If that's true, how would you know anything about my military record?"

The teen shrugged. "I don't. I just know that you have a lot of LOVE and you keep it in the basement of the cabin."

"Love? Love isn't the word I would use to describe what I keep down there."

"Not love. LOVE. It means Level Of ViolencE. Your level is... well... yeah, I didn't think anyone could have one like that and be something other than a high functioning sociopath. But, uh, you seem pretty well adjusted."

I grimaced. "Thanks. So how long have you been conscious?"

"What?"

"You're an AI, but you talk like an actual human being."

The teen shrugged. "Nope. Just a well programmed piece of machinery."

Riiiiiiiight. I sighed and looked at myself in the mirror. To say I looked like hell, didn't even begin to cover it. My long braid was gone, cut off at some point during surgery. My back had a long scar from a gash and...

"How long has it been since I fell?"

"A little more than 48 hours."

"Impossible. There is absolutely no way the gash on my back would have healed that fast." I pulled the blanket up and around my shoulders, shivering despite the hospital gown.

The teen nodded. "Under normal circumstances, I'd agree, but we're talking about my brother, and he's a miracle worker."

Brother, huh? Yeah. He was just an AI. Years of course work in logistical data said otherwise. And my bullshit meter agreed.

I looked at the IV my arm was attached too. One of the bags was clearly fluid to keep my hydrated, but I didn't know what was in the other one. It was marked with a code, but no explanation of contents. It wasn't blood. Maybe the gash on my back hadn't been that deep? Maybe the hole itself wasn't as deep as I'd originally thought when I first saw it? Or maybe I was found so quickly, I hadn't bled much. I moved my legs, wiggling my toes a little. Despite it being extremely ill advised to do so, I gingerly got out of bed. 

"Uh... You should wait for Asriel to come back. Both of your legs were broken."

'Were' being the key word. I stood easily. I pulled the gown around me a bit tighter, tying the strings in the back. Pulling the IV stand along, I walked to the door and opened it to a large, bug like creature flying just outside. It cried mournfully and flew away quickly, the very definition of more scared of me than I could ever be of it. It hid in the open doorway to the left, its head peeking just enough to watch me. 

C said nothing, but looked nervous, like he wasn't sure what to do. Yeah. He's totally just a program. 

"What was that?"

C frowned. "It's a kind of monster called a 'Whinsum.' They're skittish and afraid of their own shadows."

In the direction opposite of where it flew, a mouthwatering smell floated toward me. I headed for the smell and the sound of someone working in a kitchen somewhere. What I took to be a bunch of very large frogs slept in the hallway along the walls, leaving a carpeted path down the middle. Only one stirred as I passed, but only enough to yawn sleepily and turn over. 

"What are these?"

C's voice wrapped around the inside of my ears again. "Froggits. I believe they are the ones that found you first."

I walked into a large living room with a four seat dining table off to one side and a large, comfy chair in front of a crackling, fire place. A very large, comfy chair. I'd feel like a child sitting in it. I stood next to the fire for a moment, warming myself against the general chill in the air and wishing I'd grabbed a blanket from the bed. Several spiders crawled along the wall. They were bigger than your average spider, but also a little cartoonish in look. Like large balls with eight legs protruding out the sides. 

The sound of utensils hitting a plate grabbed my attention and I crept to the kitchen. Taking a peek inside, I found myself staring at the back of a towering man in a purple hoodie and black jeans with long white hair trailing down his back, the tips of which appeared to have been 'dip dyed' a dark indigo. He was at least seven foot tall. He cut a slice from a massive pie and carefully rested it on a plate. 

"Asriel?" I called.

He paused and turned, but what greeted me wasn't a man's face. It was the short snout of a goat with fur as white as snow. Two lines of black fur came up on either side of his face, ending in sharp points under the eyes. Two horns protruded from his head. The front of his hoodie was faded from years of wear, but the cracked, white lettering still read 'New Home School of Medicine.' He smiled warmly, a little embarrassed. 

"I don't remember telling you my name." His voice was warm and inviting, his presence exuding an overwhelming feeling of both power and safety. 

I shifted a little, feeling suddenly very small and vulnerable. "C told me."

He sighed in relief, violet eyes closing for a moment. "Then it's working properly." He came toward me, reaching out with both hands to touch either side of my face. 

I stiffened for a moment and relaxed into the warmth of his hands. Reaching up, I touched his hair, running my fingers through it. How strange that such a creature looked so beautiful. He didn't pull away from my touch, letting my fingers trace the black lines on his face.

Careful not to touch the implants, he gave me an apologetic smile. "I could have done a much better job when I cut off your hair."

I dropped my hands to my side. "You aren't surprised that I'm walking. C said both of my legs had broken in the fall."

Asriel touched the unknown IV bag. "This would be why. It's a concoction I developed a few years ago with the help of the last human who fell down here."

Without even thinking about it, I switched gears. "How many humans have fallen down here?"

He looked a little surprised at the question. "You would be the eighth."

"Can you confirm their names?"

"Yes..."

"Where are my things?" I turned my head too quickly to look to the hallway and the pain buckled my knees. 

Asriel caught me, easily lifting me and the IV stand, and carrying me to the table while I clutched at my head. "Sit." He placed a blanket over my legs before disappearing into the kitchen and coming back with the pie. It smelled heavily of butterscotch and was topped with whipped cream sprinkled with cinnamon. "Eat this. It's butterscotch-cinnamon pie. My mother's recipe and monster food. It will heal the last of the damage from the fall and cure the pain."

I wasn't sure I believed the healing part, but I was hungry enough that it didn't matter. I dug in and the first bite melted like buttery, cinnamon-y heaven on my tongue. I finished the pie a little too fast. Not that Asriel noticed. He'd left the room and come back with my things. Or rather, my things minus my clothing. Which wasn't that surprising. He'd likely had to cut them off of me which would have left them in tatters. All that he had was my phone and my wallet. 

"My backpack?"

Asriel shook his head. "You didn't have one on you, but I also didn't take the time to look around and see if you had anything else. It may have landed elsewhere. Once I'm sure that you're able to be about, we'll go look for it." He set a steaming cup of tea in front of me. "Why are you interested in how many have fallen?"

I reached back and gingerly touched the chip on the implant. It didn't hurt at all. "It's why I was on the mountain. I'm investigating the disappearances of several people." I looked at the tea. And then back at him. "What are you?"

He sat down across from me with his own cup of tea. "Goat monster. Specifically speaking, I'm what's referred to as a 'boss monster,' making me one of the more powerful monsters of my kind."

Powerful was right, but not the kind I associated with a threat. It was rather comforting to be here. 

"Az has that effect on people," C supplied.

Speaking from experience?

"That and watching every other human who's fallen down here do the same thing."

I frowned at that. I wasn't exactly comfortable with someone being privy to all of my thoughts let alone commenting on them. C didn't respond to that one.

Asriel regarded me for a moment. "You aren't upset enough with your situation. Even the other humans who've fallen down here where shocked by their predicament."

I looked him in the eyes. "Do you know what someone burned to death by white phosphorus looks like?"

"No..."

"I do. This is not particularly upsetting."

His jaw dropped, revealing sharp canines, before blinking rapidly. "What have you done?!"

I shook my head, not particularly interested in really remembering that moment. "Not me. It's what was left of two friends when they refused to reveal information under torture." I stared down into my tea. "There's this legend my father liked to tell me before bed. The story goes that hundreds of years ago, humans and monsters lived together until a war broke out. The monsters left, hiding away in secret place. The legend says that monsters will return after a time of great strife to bolster us and make us strong in the eyes of the world." I sipped the tea.

Asriel frowned. "We didn't leave. We were trapped down here, locked inside the mountain."

"Is there no way out?"

He nodded. "There is. If you go to the other end of the cavern, you will reach New Home, the capitol city. If you go through my father's house you will reach his throne room. Behind that room is the barrier that traps monsters Underground. To pass through requires a human and a monster soul. You would have to take a monster's soul to leave."

I sighed. "If what C said about me is true, then I'm sure that you can see it too. That thing you call LOVE. I've long had my fill of taking lives." I cocked my head to the side. "You said I would need a monster soul in order to pass through. What does it take to break it?"

"Seven human souls."

"But I'm the eighth person to fall."

C sighed heavily from where he sat on the deck.

Asriel set down his tea. "When my brother died, our mother absorbed his soul to take his body across the barrier and bury him in the freedom we all longed for. She was attacked on the way home and died on the floor of the throne room. After that, my father declared war on humanity and I left." He sighed. "Five of the other six died as they traveled to New Home. Though some of them remained with me for a while, I can't cure homesickness. The sixth one lived out her life in the city just beyond this house."

"How did they die?"

"Age, the royal guard, the general danger of the wilder places in the Underground, encounters with monsters who didn't understand the person they interacted with weren't so hardy."

"So that makes me the seventh."

He cocked his head to the side, looking at me in a very interested way. "You aren't afraid that I'll turn you over?"

I rolled my eyes and counted off on my fingers. "You lost your human brother to death. You left your father over a declaration of war on humans. You obviously helped the humans who fell. And you saved my life." I put my hands down. "I'm not all that worried."

Asriel smiled as he sipped his tea. "You wanted their names."

I nodded. "When I find my backpack. My notes are in there and I'm looking for far more than seven people." I tapped at my phone. The front was shattered, but it still turned on. Thank God for gorilla glass. I punched in my password and hoping for a signal. I found one, but it wasn't on a connection my phone was familiar with. Did monsters have a cellphone system down here? If so, how did it work in a cavern? I turned the phone off to conserve the battery. "How soon can we go?"

"As soon as I give you a checkup." He smiled a little. "And find you some clothes."

I followed him back down the hallway filled with sleeping Froggits to the room the Whinsum had hidden in. Inside was a laboratory of stainless steel cabinets, refrigerators, incubators, and shiny counter tops. The white tile floor gleamed under my feet. My clothing, or what was left of it, was piled in a bag on one of the counters. I dug around and found my shoes were still in pretty good condition so I pulled them out. Asriel directed me to sit on the table in the middle of the room. After checking my vitals, he removed the IVs, flushed the stent, and removed it, bandaging my hand. 

He gently tapped the chip. "Can you hear me, C?"

This time the voice came from the chip itself. "Yeah." A red hologram appeared on my shoulder of the same teen who'd been sitting on the deck. "Her rib cage is back in place. Her legs are, if walking around wasn't proof enough, fully healed. Her brain function is normal even with the implant in place, so besides some bruising, she's okay to be up and about."

Asriel nodded and lead me back into the hall. He asked the Froggits to move and they did, revealing a door I hadn't noticed when I first came down the hall. He led me into what was clearly his bedroom by the size of the bed alone, and opened the closet. Digging around, he pulled out a blue and purple striped sweater and a pair of blue jeans, handing them to me. 

"These belonged to Chara. They should fit."

I pulled on the jeans and found them snug, but not too snug. I untied the strings on the gown, letting it drop to pull on the sweater. Asriel flushed, looking away quickly.

I snorted. "You operated on me. You don't get to be embarrassed about seeing me in any state of undress."

"Not the point."

I smiled, patting his arm when finished. "I am dressed again, Sir Knight."

He turned, head held to the side, questioningly. "Ready? It's a bit of a trek."

I nodded once.

We left the house by the front door, walking past a strange black tree. Red leaves, freshly fallen, gathered around its base. Several monsters followed along with us, none seeming particularly threatened by my presence. Or at least, were comforted at Asriel's. After walking through a maze of rooms we came to a portcullis and a small patch of grass. The spiders crawled ahead of us and came back with my backpack. I hadn't put anything particularly delicate inside, so while my notebook was a bit beaten up, it'd survived the fall. I looked to the area ahead, just making out a patch of golden flowers.

"I want to see where I fell."

Asriel nodded and motioned me forward. "That patch of flowers is my mother's final resting place. That's where you landed."

I nodded and walked through the portcullis, coming to stand at the edge of the flowers, and froze. I stared at the too large puddle of congealed blood for several long moments before looking up at the insane height from which I fell. I started shaking.

"How...? How am l still alive?"

Mom. Oh God. Mom! How could I have done this to her? To have been so reckless? Hadn't she suffered enough losing Dad? She'd been proud that I'd been chosen for the Project during the war, but devastated at the knowledge that I, her only child, would likely never come home. How could I have come through war simply to disappear on her like this?

The tears came unbidden and I covered my face with my hands, shoulders heaving. Asriel's arms wrapped around me and I turned, weeping against his chest. 

I wasn't sure how I got back to the house, only that when I'd stopped crying, I was sitting at the table with a meal in front of me. 

C watched me from his perch on my shoulder. "You okay?"

I pushed the food around the plate listlessly. "I don't know."

"So what did you mean by 'never coming home?'" When I didn't respond, the hologram moved to float in front of my face. "Well?"

"Sorry. Just trying to think of a way to talk about it without revealing classified information." I took a bite of the red lentil chili in front of me just to have something to occupy me.

"Liar. It's about the basement in your head."

Asriel sat down opposite me with a cup of tea. "What is C talking about?"

I sighed, staring at the chili. "Does monster medicine have a concept of a 'memory palace' or a 'safe place' in your head?"

He nodded. 

"In mine is a basement and that's where I keep all of my memories from the war. I suppose, the most basic answer to the question is that the Project I was chosen for during wartime doesn't have a great survival rate. Of the fifteen chosen, only six of us came home, and that was only because the war didn't last too long."

"Does the country I'm living under go to war often?"

I shook my head. "No. We're just a nice cache of natural resources with a stable population, and surrounded on all sides by enemies who'd like to take advantage of that." I frowned and changed the topic, pulling my notebook from my pack. "What were the names of the fallen?"

"Chara never revealed a last name. After him was Cecilia Indigo, Sabri Vinil, Euridice Boyd, Leo Cam, Heidi Jaydon, and Hector Iola."

I frowned. "Leo Cam and Heidi Jaydon are on my list, but the rest of the names you gave aren't."

"I didn't ask to see their IDs when they fell. They may have lied about their names."

I thought about that for a moment. "Their ages?"

Asriel shook his head. "On that, I have little memory. With the exception of Cecilia and Hector, they were all young adults by human reckoning. Both Cecilia and Hector were adolescents."

"By human reckoning?"

"I was a hundred and fifty years old when Chara died. That made me just barely old enough to be considered an adult among monsters."

"And you went to med school?"

He shrugged. "Schooling is different from what I understand happens above ground. Down here, you go directly from primary school to a school designed for your chosen career path. Even before I met Chara, I was already in my residency."

"Best big brother ever," C added.

Yeah. He's totally just an AI. "What happened to the children?"

"Cecilia lived here until she felt old enough to live on her on and moved into the city. She lived there until her death." Asriel smiled. "Ah, but she made a feisty old lady!" He frowned then. "Hector snuck out one night. I don't know what happened to him after that, but the royal guard reported that a new human soul had been obtained a little while later."

I looked down at my notes and the information my employer had given me. "And the adults?"

Asriel shook his head. "Each left of their own accord and I had no right to stop them." He cocked his head to the side. "It's interesting that Heidi and Leo are on your list."

I looked up at him. "Why?"

"They both fell over a hundred years ago."

I blinked at him for a moment. "That does not add up with my information."

Asriel raised an eyebrow. "People who walk up the mountain disappear forever, right? Who asked you to investigate?"

I looked down at my list. Each of the people listed had been an existing missing persons’ case, but I'd not checked the dates on them. The phone call I'd received had come on a secured number, and I'd been asked to look into the cases for a substantial sum of money... but also as a favor to my former command. I did not like the implications of that thought. I closed the notebook and finished the chili. 

"What will you do now?"

"I was asked to investigate the disappearances, and I at least have a lead on two, so I'll follow their trail to the end."

Asriel looked up at the clock on the wall. "You may want to wait till tomorrow. It's getting rather late. I'm sure you'd like a shower."

I grimaced and reached back to touch the chip attached to the back of my neck. "Will the implant take water hitting it?"

He nodded. 

"Was it really necessary to put that kind of leash on me?"

The goat monster sighed. "While I will not easily take the life of another, I have a duty to keep my people safe. So unless there's something you can say to convince me that you aren't a threat to my charges, the implant stays."

I stared at my empty bowl. Despite the ongoing therapy before, during, and after the war to prepare me for and then help me deal with the horrors I'd both see and be expected to take part in, I couldn't say that I could just 'turn off' years of training when defending myself. In the cabin in my head, C already appeared to be asleep on the couch, the rhythmic nature of his breathing lulling me to sleep.

"I'll take the shower."

The next morning, Asriel gave me a wrapped up piece of the pie and a bag full of candy as several of the spiders worked on cutting my hair a bit more evenly over breakfast, in return for me taking them past what they assured me was a snowy walk. Checking me one last time to make sure that I was well enough to travel, the goat prince led me through the corridor in the basement of his house to the massive stone doors to the rest of the cavern. He hugged me tightly and I melted against him for a moment.

"Whenever you want, you are welcome to return. If the door is locked, it just means I'm asleep. Knock and I'll come."

"Thank you."

He stepped back to open the door as I shouldered my bag. "Good luck."

Several spiders suddenly crawled up my leg, nestling in the old sweater for their trip. I pushed on the stone door and stepped out onto a snow covered path surrounded by a dark forest.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three  
(Sans is our narrator!)

I could hear the door to the Ruins open from my sentry station over the stillness of the snow, which happened from time to time. There were monsters who still lived in 'old' Home who came into Snowdin to buy things not found in the former capitol of the Underground. I turned the page of the vintage muscle car magazine that demanded my attention. My phone rang and I sighed as I answered.

"Yeah, Alphys?"

"A HUMAN JUST CAME THROUGH THE DOOR!!!"

I sighed. "And how do you know it's a human?"

"I've watched enough anime to know what a human looks like, Sans."

Okay. I had to give her that. I'd watched the majority of it with her. 

"This is it, Sans! The seventh one!"

I frowned. Yeah. The seventh soul. The last one needed to open the barrier. 

Alphys voice changed, suddenly nervous. "What are you going to do?"

I reached into the interior pocket of my fur lined, leather bomber jacket, and pulled out the photo: a Polaroid of myself and a woman in a house I didn't recognize, but was clearly on the surface. She was beautiful and blushing a little with her smile. And I was happy. Very happy. She was up there and the last thing I needed to get to her had just walked out of the Ruins.

I put the photo back in my pocket. "I'll take care of it, Alphys."

"Be careful, okay? The human looks like they have something attached to the back of their head."

"Got it."

I took a short cut to the far end of the path, watching from the trees as the human came toward me. I waited until it was right in front of me and froze, every bone in my body shaking. I pulled out the photo, staring at it, before looking back at her. 

Oh my God. 

It was her. 

No. 

This wasn't right.

She walked passed me, unaware that I was there. A massive branch had fallen across the path and she stepped on it, before jumping from it, still walking toward the bridge. I walked onto the path and stomped on the branch, sending up a resounding crack before quickly teleporting away. She stopped mid step and turned back, crouching next to the branch to investigate. I took the moment to really look at her, comparing her to the Polaroid. It was her. Just younger, hair cut short, and... tighter? The woman in the photo was relaxed. This one was... It was like she was wearing a mask without wearing anything at all.

I checked her level and immediately wished I hadn't.

Fuck. 

The woman I'd spent the past 300 years waiting for had more blood on her hands than I ever thought was imaginable.

What the hell was I supposed to do? 

I took a breath, letting it out slowly as she stood and walked back toward the bridge. She watched the area around her cautiously. On the back of her neck was what appeared to be a microchip attached to some implant in the base of her skull. I could just make out blue lines glowing under her skin where the implant was attached to her. How'd she end up with that? Was cybernetics a thing now on the surface? I stepped onto the path, walking slowly behind her so as not to make any noise. I must have made some sound because she whipped around to face me when she got to the bridge, ready for a fight. Damn, I was at least a good, foot taller than her.

I gave her my best smile. "What? Don't you know how to greet a new pal?" I held out my hand.

She relaxed a bit, shoulders dropping with her hands. As she reached out to take my hand, I used a bit of magic to put a whoopee cushion in against the hole in my hand. She grasped my phalanges and jumped at the sound of the cushion deflating. She snorted in annoyance at my chuckle.

"The old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. It's always funny."

"Hardly."

My smile softened. Her voice was easy on the ears, even in annoyance.

"I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton. I'm actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now, but... ya know... I don't really care about capturing anybody." I winked at her as I stuffed the deflated cushion in a pocket. "Now my brother, Papyrus? He's a human hunting fanatic. And it looks like he's coming this way. Why don't you go across the bridge and hide in the sentry post?"

She looked at the clearing on the other side of the bridge, spotting my overly tall brother, and then back to me. She dashed across the bridge and hid in the station. Papyrus came into the clearing, wearing his typical brown, pinstriped pants and suit coat over a white button down with a red scarf. You could say a lot about my brother, and well dressed would be one of those things. His eyes slid to the sentry station and backed to me with a rather sly smile. 

I rolled my eyes. "Sup, Paps?"

His eye slid to the sentry station again. "YOU KNOW WHAT "SUP," BROTHER. IT'S BEEN TWO WEEKS SINCE YOU'VE RE-CALIBRATED YOUR PUZZLES."

"Don't see much point in making puzzles for the residents of Old Home to slog through just to go to Snowdin."

"OH? AND WHAT IF A HUMAN WERE TO COME THROUGH?"

"I'm pretty sure there's a enough snow and guard dogs between here and Snowdin to make the trip less than easy." I smiled big. "You seem really interested in my sentry station. You want to go have a look at it?"

His eyes gleamed. Oh yeah. He knew she was there. 

"I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT! I HAVE MY OWN PUZZLES TO ATTEND TOO!" He turned to head back down the path. "AS FOR YOUR WORK, WHY DON'T YOU PUT A LITTLE MORE BACKBONE INTO IT? NYEH HEH HEH!" He stepped out of view of the station and disappeared with a teleport.

So he was following my lead? Well, that wasn't all that strange. Since the accident, that's pretty much what he'd do if he didn't have a bee in his rib cage about something. Like trying to join the royal guard. I'd hope the sentry work with the puzzles would keep him occupied in between trying to fix the damn time machine, but... yeah. No luck. At least his 'private lessons' with Undyne made him happy. It was fun to watch her humor him at the same time that he was humoring her.

"Okay. You can come out now." 

She came out from behind the station, looking down the path. She touched the back of her striped sweater like she was checking something. "Snowdin is that way?"

"You better get going. There's nothing to be afraid of. It's just a dark cavern filled with skeletons and horrible monsters."

She glanced back at me. "If they're anything like the monsters in Home, then I'm not all that worried."

I grabbed her wrist, eyes going dark. "How many of them did you kill?"

She stared me dead in the eye sockets. "None." She pulled her hand away and adjusted her pack. "That thing you call LOVE? I earned that before I got here." She turned and jogged down the path.

Paps appeared next to me. "IT'S HER, ISN'T IT? THE ONE IN THE PHOTO."

I nodded. "Yeah." I squeezed my eye sockets shut. "Fuck."

"DOES HER LEVEL OF VIOLENCE CONCERN YOU?"

"How can it not?!"

Paps smiled patiently. "AND YET, THE PHOTO SHOWS YOU BOTH SMILING HAPPILY, SO THERE MUST BE A POINT AT WHICH YOU REALIZE THAT IT IS NOT A POINT OF CONCERN."

My phone rang and I picked it up. "Hey, Alph."

"Oh Thank GOD! When I saw the human appear near Doggo's station, I thought you were dead!"

"I'm fine."

Her anxiety melted away to be replaced with excitement. "What happened? Did she use magic? Does she have any weapons on her?"

Papyrus pulled the phone from my hand. "OH YES, ALPHYS. THE HUMAN DOES HAVE A WEAPON! HER GREAT BEAUTY HAS LEFT MY POOR BROTHER DUMB STRUCK!"

I groaned.

"No way!" Alphys sounded way too enthusiastic.

I grabbed the phone back. "What's she doing now, Alph?"

"Oh. She's..." I could hear her claws tapping on the keyboard. "Petting Doggo. He's very happy, and very confused."

"Probably because he can't see her."

"I SUPPOSE THAT MEANS SHE'S FIGURED OUT HOW BLUE ATTACKS WORK."

I looked to Papyrus, blinking a little. Huh. "Come on. Let's go make sure she stays out of trouble."

We teleported to the trees near Doggo's station and found that she'd already moved on, talking to the Snowman. She was carefully putting a piece of his snow in a seal-able bag and promising to take it with her.

As she walked back toward where we hid, I could hear her talking. "Could you project, please? I really don't like talking to myself."

A red hologram of a human teen appeared on her shoulder. "Fine. Do you think the skeletons are dangerous?"

"Yes." 

"So what are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"You asked me if they were dangerous. Not if they were a threat. You can be dangerous without being a threat."

I was almost insulted by that. "Come on, Paps. I should introduce you before she meets the married couple." We teleported to the end of a clearing to wait for her to come around the bend. She was barely into the clearing before my brother decided to wing it.

"OH MY GOD. SANS! IS THAT A HUMAN?!"

I love him, but damn if he isn't an ass sometimes. "Actually, I think that's a rock."

Papyrus checked his glare, opting to stay jovial. "OH."

The woman crossed both arms over her chest and waited. The hologram teen sat down on her shoulder with his knees drawn up, watching us like it was a show.

"So what's that in front of the rock?"

"OH MY GOD! IS THAT A HUMAN?"

"Yeah."

"OH! UNDYNE WILL BE SO HAPPY!"

Happy isn't what I'd call it. 'Murdery' is I'd call it.

"AHEM. HUMAN! YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL STOP YOU! I WILL THEN CAPTURE YOU! YOU WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL! AND THEN... AND THEN... WELL, I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT."

"So I can fast track this trip to the barrier if I let you capture me?"

Papyrus paused. He knew damn well what came next, and from the look of determination on her face, she knew as well. It wasn't like the goat prince to let a human wander down here with out telling them the potential consequences of leaving. Was this woman eager for death? Nah. She had a mission, so what was it?

"CONTINUE IF YOU DARE!" Papyrus headed further down the path.

I shoved my hands in my coat pockets. "Well, that went well. Don't worry. I'll keep an eye socket out for ya."

She walked passed me, following Papyrus. "I'm sure you will." Her phone rang and she froze in place, looking honestly confused. She pulled it out of the backpack and tapped a password into a shattered screen to answer it.

Alphys voice came over loud and clear. "Uhhh... Oh my god, help... I'd like to order a... Um... A pizza? With, uh... The toppings are, uh... I have them copied. I'll just paste them to you." A text dinged the phone and an ASCII art of an anime catgirl appeared.

The woman looked to me for a moment. "Do monsters put cat on pizza?"

"No."

One eye brow quirked as she put her phone back in the pack and continued down the path. I followed behind leisurely as Lesser Dog stepped in front of her. She reached up and petted him between the ears, sending him into a happy frenzy of chasing his own tail for a moment before returning for another pet. She gave him a good scrub around the ears and he lay there in the snow contentedly, sword and shield forgotten, neck stretched out. She patted his head once more and continued on. 

A couple ice caps threw snowballs at her to get her attention and then made a run for it at her glare, immediately sensing danger. As she continued on, she walked passed one of Papyrus' puzzle areas, but he wasn't there. The puzzle had been deactivated as well. Where did he get too?

The hologram pointed. "Hey, check it out. Two more stations. Who puts guard stations right next to each other?"

"Someone who doesn't know how to plan out such things." She stopped and looked up at the sign. "Warning: Dog Marriage."

"Do you think it's another dog sentry? I mean, it wasn't all that hard to dodge Doggo. He literally can't see you if you stay still. And the other dog just wanted pets."

She touched the side of her sweater again. "I'd hope it'd be someone a little better at doing the job of being a guard." She stopped and looked at one of the glowing, golden stars that littered the Underground. She touched it and it flashed. 

Both Paps and I leaned forward with interest. What was that? Wait. When did Paps get here?

"You okay?" The hologram asked.

"Yeah. I think so." She looked ahead. "Just feeling really determined."

"FasCiNAtiNg." 

The human whipped around, looking at both of us. "Who said that?"

"We did both did."

She shook her head. "No. That was someone else's voice. Where's the third skeleton?"

Paps and I looked at each other. Yeah. The third skeleton. We weren't getting back to being him without the time machine and Paps had stopped helping me work on it since the photo appeared. Like he didn't want to be whole again after seeing it. When we remained silent, she frowned and turned, continuing on only to pause as Dogamy and Dogaressa popped out of the snow. 

"What's that smell?"

"Where's that smell?"

"If you're a smell, identify yoursmellf!"

They ran around her, sniffing.

"Here's that weird smell. It makes me want to eliminate."

"Eliminate YOU!"

Oh hell. 

Dogamy swung his axe and the woman dodged to the side, moving close to Dogaressa. Only to have to jump away from her swing.

"I hope you're happy," the hologram commented. "You're getting the guards you hoped for."

"Hardly." She ducked Dogaressa's next swing and smacked her arm hard enough that the axe went flying from the guard dog's hand and lodged in a tree. Dogamy swung his axe and woman jumped backward to get out of the swing. Before he could bring the axe around again, she dove forward, rolling under his arm to come up behind him. Grabbing his arms, she forced him to swing the axe into the near tree, lodging it deep. 

Dogamy's arm came back, smashing her in the stomach and she fell with a splash in the muddy snow. The dogs both paused sniffing her again. 

"You smell like a weird puppy!" Dogamy yelled.

"Cute little puppy!" Dogaressa cooed. "Are you lost little puppy?"

The human found her feet and reached up to pet both guards. 

"A dog that pets other dogs?"

"Amazing!"

Their axes forgotten, the guard dogs started petting each others' heads and ears.

The woman stood, brushing herself off and sighing at the mess made of her clothing before patting her side. "Hey? Are you guys all right?"

"Who was she talking too?"

"GOOD QUESTION." 

A moment later, the answer appeared. A few spiders climbed up out of her sweater. That was what she'd been so keen on when she kept checking her side. She'd been protecting them. This human with a monstrous amount of LOVE had been protecting something as small and delicate as spiders? After being sure the spiders in her care where okay, and safely pocketed away in the sweater again, she continued on down the path.

Paps smiled at me and disappeared. I sighed, walking behind the human as she came up on Papyrus standing next to one of his puzzles. Specifically the one that required you to walk on certain pieces in a specific order to open the gateway ahead.

"HUMAN! TO PROCEED FURTHER YOU MUST SOLVE THIS PUZZLE TO OPEN THE GATE!" He tapped the side of his skull. "HMMM... HOW DO I SAY THIS? YOU WERE TAKING A LONG TIME TO ARRIVE SO I DECIDED TO IMPROVE THIS PUZZLE. BY ARRANGING THE SNOW TO LOOK MORE LIKE A FACE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE SNOW FROZE TO THE GROUND. SO NOW THE SOLUTION IS DIFFERENT. SO WHAT I AM SAYING IS, WORRY NOT! I WILL SOLVE THIS CONUNDRUM! THOUGH DO FEEL FREE TO SOLVE IT ON YOUR OWN."

She walked around the puzzle, looking at the skull shape in the snow and then at the mechanism that would open the gate. Rubbing out a little bit of the snow, she looked at the wires hidden just under the dirt and walked backwards, looking along the path. Her eyes narrowed when she saw the switch hiding in a tree and pulled it, changing all the tiles, and opening the gate. She gave Paps a rather satisfied smile as she walked by.

"WELL DONE, BUT CAN YOU SOLVE THE NEXT ONE."

She paused, watching him as he walked passed her. 

He crossed the bridge ahead of her. "YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE THIS PUZZLE! IT WAS MADE BY THE GREAT DR. ALPHYS! YOU SEE THE TILES HERE? ONCE I THROW THE SWITCH, THEY WILL BEGIN TO CHANGE COLOR. EACH COLOR HAS A DIFFERENT FUNCTION!"

The woman sighed and gave him a patient smile. And I burst out laughing as she simply stepped forward, walking across the puzzle area before he could activate it. 

"OH, THAT'S CHEEKY." Papyrus looked up at me. "YOU AREN'T HELPING, BROTHER!"

"Nope." I walked passed him, following the woman as she went through Lesser Dog's snow sculpture garden, stopping briefly to pet him before examining the glowing crystal star, causing it to flash again. Walking on, she set her foot on the icy path and pushed off, sliding like she was ice skating through the thick woods and coming out on the other side of a cliff, looking over the massive forests outside of Snowdin. Something caught her eye in the snowdrifts and she walked over to a tree, snapping off a small stick from a branch.

Walking forward to the snowdrift in the middle of the path, she waited as Greater Dog rose out of the snow, tail wagging. She swung the stick in front of her, immediately catching his eye, before tossing it back toward Papyrus and I. The guard dog hopped out of his armor, bounded after the stick, and bowled us both down. The woman stepped onto the bridge and started walking toward the glowing lights of Snowdin as we sorted ourselves out. 

She stopped halfway across the bridge, looking down at the massive forest spread below her. Smiling a little, she turned, and continued into the town.

"Great. Now what?" I sighed. "Are you going to try and catch her for Undyne?"

"OF COURSE."

"You know what will happen when--"

"WE LEAVE THE UNDERGROUND AND IN SOME TIME AND PLACE IN THE FUTURE, SHE IS SMILING IN YOUR ARMS." He sighed. "I KNOW YOU WORRY, SANS, BUT WHILE NEITHER OF US CAN BE CERTAIN OF THE DETAILS, THE FUTURE HAS BUT ONE COURSE. WE NEED ONLY TO WALK TOWARD IT." He looked toward the woman as she disappeared inside the shop. "THE ONLY REAL QUESTION IS, WHY IS SHE HERE? SHE WALKS WITH A PURPOSE AND NOT ONE RELATED TO US IN THE LEAST." He brushed himself off and disappeared. 

I sat for a moment, petting Greater Dog, before standing and tossing the stick for him to fetch.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four  
(Frisk is our narrator!)

I looked over the quaint little town covered in Christmas lights and happy monsters about their day, and all I could think of was how desperately I wanted a bath. And a change of clothing. And a cup of tea. A cup of tea would be great right now. Sighing, I headed into a shop to my left. A very tall, bipedal, white rabbit woman stood behind the desk and watched me with interest. The spiders crawled out of my sweater for a moment, enjoying the warmth of the shop interior while I looked around for anything that would help me wash out these clothes.

"What can I help you with, honey?"

I looked up at the rabbit. "I need to wash these clothes. They're too wet and dirty for me to transport the spiders in." The spiders waved at her to emphasize my point. 

The rabbit nodded. "You'll need a washing machine too and you won't find a laundromat in Snowdin. Come on back behind the counter." She lifted the leaf end of the counter top to let me through to the back of the shop, which turned out to be her home. I followed her into a cozy little bathroom decorated in large flowers. A washer-dryer stand up unit was pushed into the corner behind the door. "You get yourself clean and I'll get your clothing in order."

"Thank you." 

"Of course. It's not every day we get a boss monster as powerful as you in Snowdin. Are you visiting from New Home?"

I put my hand on the sink so the spiders could wait while I washed. "I came from Old Home. I'm giving the spiders a lift to see their relatives."

"That's mighty nice of you."

After putting my backpack down, I pulled off the sweater. "How much do I owe you for the help?" 

"For this, nothing. But I'll be much obliged if you buy from the shop."

I smiled, happy for money Asriel had given me last night. "I can do that." I cleaned up as quick as a bunny so as not to waste the rabbit's hot water. But oh man, did it feel good to be clean. I hadn't been this messy since...

Chara's voice wrapped around my inner ear. "Since?" 

I really didn't want to think about it. I took the towel I was handed and wrapped myself up while I waited on the clothes. I didn't need to wait long. Magic had the clothes clean and dry fast. The spiders climbed back on me, nestling in around the collar of the sweater while I made good on purchases from the shop. The Cinnamon Buns looked super delicious. The tough glove got my attention. The tag labelled it as having been produced above ground.

"Where did you get this?"

The rabbit shrugged. "Honestly? I don't remember. I don't remember picking it up, so it might have just been left here."

I nodded. "Thank you for the help."

"You're welcome. My sister owns the inn next door if you need a place to stay the night."

"Thank you."

I went out the door and back into the cold, the spiders diving back into the depths of the sweater to nestle against right side. As inviting as the inn looked, it wasn't even close to lunch time let alone night. I could probably make it to another town before I was actually tired enough that I needed to sleep. I looked around the town and spotted a Christmas tree in the town square along with a several monsters decorating it. They paid me little mind. 

"Is it just me, or do these people not know what a human actually looks like?"

C frowned. "I don't get it. The skeletons knew you were human. The guard dogs certainly seemed to think you were out of the ordinary at least, but... I don't get it. Then again, the skeletons are powerful in the same way that Asriel is. They're boss monsters. Maybe it's something only the more powerful monsters recognize?"

"But then why would the rabbit mistake me for one? Unless my level translates to power in some way?"

"Maybe." The hologram moved to look around the other side of my head. "That sign says 'Librarby.'"

"I'm sure they know it's wrong."

The teen looked at me. "Do you have any sense of humor?"

I frowned and tried not to think about the last time I really thought something was funny. It was a depressingly long time ago. 

A small, yellow lizard child with no arms and a thick tail ran full force into me and hit the snow with a plop. "Oh man! I'm SO sorry!" He shook the snow off his head and hopped to his feet. "Oh hey! You're wearing a striped shirt like me! That means you're a kid, right? Cool." He ran off. 

"Striped shirts equal child?"

C shrugged. "Mom and Dad dressed me in striped shirts until the day I died. So I guess it's a thing?"

I thought about that as I continued out of town. A deep and icy fog appeared ahead, but it wasn't anything I couldn't make my way through. Would be interesting if Pyramid Head were in there.

"What the HELL was that? Seriously?! I get this flash of something awful and it was something that I'm pretty sure almost made you laugh!"

"Calm down, C. It's just something from a horror video game that used fog to hide screen loading and ended up making the whole thing creepier than before."

"You like creepy video games?"

I shrugged. "Sometimes. Sci-fi is more my thing." I could make out something ahead of us and stopped to wait for the fog to lift. Papyrus waited for me in his rather dapper, pinstriped suit and scarf. He was incredibly tall. Taller than his brother and sweeter in appearance, despite them both looking very similar. He had a crack in his skull, starting from the right eye socket and going up and back around the skull. A second crack rested under to left eye socket, which only had a single white dot for an eye, heading toward the mouth. He had a hole in each of the palms of his hands, though this didn't seem to impact his mobility.

"HUMAN! ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME RATHER COMPLEX FEELINGS. FEELINGS LIKE... THE JOY OF FINDING SOMEONE SO INTERESTING. THE ADMIRATION FOR ANOTHER'S PUZZLE-SOLVING SKILLS. THE DESIRE TO HAVE A LITTLE COMEUPPANCE ON ANYONE WHO CAN SO THOROUGHLY BEAT ME AT MY OWN GAME." He crossed his arms over his chest, but his smile only grew larger. "SO NOW COMES THE TIME TO CAPTURE YOU."

Capture, huh? He wasn't going to capture me any sooner than I was going to turn into an ocelot. Oh. He'd make it look good, but he wouldn't actually hold me prisoner. I gave him a smile. "You look very nice in that suit, Papyrus."

By the surprise in his expression, he hadn't expected the compliment. "FLIRTING? WELL, I AM A SKELETON WITH VERY HIGH STANDARDS."

"I can knit, sew, cook, clean, and make croquembouche."

His eye sockets blinked at me. "YOU ARE LEGITIMATELY MEETING ALL OF MY STANDARDS. PERHAPS A DATE IS IN ORDER AFTER CAPTURING YOU."

A rush of bones sped toward me, but didn't even come close to touching me. So skeleton monsters used bones to attack. Did that count as a cliche?

C groaned. "Is this really what you think about in the middle of a fight?"

"No much of a fight so far," I muttered.

"WILL YOU NOT FIGHT? WELL THEN! LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN HANDLE MY FABLED 'BLUE ATTACK!'"

C sighed. "Well if it's anything like Doggo's, we don't have much to worry about."

I remained still as multiple blue bones that were insubstantial passed through me. When the last one touched me, something changed. I reached to touch my chest, feeling a physical heaviness on my soul. A bone flew through the air and hit me the arm hard enough to make me step back. With the heaviness, I didn't have a chance to react.

That smile turned sly. "YOU'RE BLUE NOW. THAT'S MY ATTACK. NYEH HEH HEH!"

Oh. All right then. Let's go.

Multiple bones came at me while the skeleton appeared to be considering what to wear on our date. I dodged left, right, and moved center to dive between two bones making a barrier. 

"CAPTURING YOU WILL GET ME INTO THE ROYAL GUARD NO DOUBT. SOMETHING I'VE LONG DESIRED."

Really? He wants to be in the royal guard? Then why is he lobbing all these 'softball' attacks at me? I jumped multiple bones as I tried to get closer to him.

"I WOULD BECOME VERY POPULAR, VERY QUICKLY, BUT WOULD ANYONE LIKE ME AS SINCERELY AS YOU?"

I dodged another round of bones. 

"SOMEONE LIKE YOU IS ESPECIALLY RARE."

"Would that be because of my LOVE?" I asked, skirting around a set of bones coming at me from ground level.

A pale, blue gleam took his eye that hadn't been there before. "DATING MIGHT BE MADE HARD BY THAT."

Another barrage of bones came at me, and I managed to get around all of them only to get knocked by one from behind.

"You know, C," I grumbled, "If you're going to be stuck with me, you might want to start helping out."

He snorted. "You're doing fine."

"Jerk."

"YOU ARE DOING WELL. PERHAPS I SHOULD PREPARE MY SPECIAL ATTACK."

He was smiling too widely. I didn't doubt that he had one, but whatever was coming wasn't going to be his actual special attack. I dodged the next group of bones, and narrowly missed getting smacked in the face.

"OH YES! IT IS DEFINITELY TIME FOR MY SPECIAL ATTACK!" Papyrus lifted his arm to send another barrage, but nothing came. He turned and found a small, white dog chewing on one of his bones. "WHAT? YOU RASCAL! COME BACK WITH MY SPECIAL ATTACK!"

I snorted, covering my mouth with my hand. The dog looked up at Papyrus in surprise before slowly backing away, taking the bone with him, and my chest rumbled. Papyrus took off after him, and I lost it, laughing so hard, tears clouded my eyes. The skeleton's long legs were no match for the dog running rings around them. I knelt down, doubled over in laughter. The dog finally made off and Papyrus huffed, coming back over to me.

He sighed heavily. "WELL, I SUPPOSE THAT THIS IS RATHER RIDICULOUS." He offered me a hand and I wiped the tears away from my eyes. "PERHAPS WE SHOULD JUST SIMPLY MOVE ONTO THE DATE."

I took his boney hand and let him draw me up. From the trees on my left, I could see his brother watching with a relieved look on his face. 

Papyrus offered me his arm. "COME, MY LADY."

I took his arm and we walked back to Snowdin.

"I SHALL TAKE YOU TO MY FAVORITE PLACE." He led me around the town for a bit and came to stop in front of a two story cabin, decorated in festive lights. "MY HOME, MY LADY." He held the door for me and I stepped inside a very simple living room. A plain, green couch sat across from a huge, flat screen TV, and a set of vintage guitars were displayed on the walls. Stairs on the left led up to two bedrooms. 

I walked over to look at the vintage guitars, running my hand along a green one with a fascinating varnish that looked marbleized. "This is beautiful. Is it one of the flood memorial Gibsons?"

Papyrus regarded me thoughtfully. "THAT IS MY BROTHER'S COLLECTION. I CONFESS THAT I KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT IT."

"Does he play?"

The skeleton nodded. "GUITAR AND PIANO. THOUGH YOU WILL BE HARD PRESSED TO GET HIM TO TICKLE THE IVORIES."

I looked in the small kitchen and found it impeccably clean for being in the home of two bachelors. "Do either of you eat?"

"OF COURSE. WHY?"

I shook my head and turned to him. "So what shall we do on our date?"

He sighed. "I CONFESS, SWEET LADY, THAT MY FEELINGS DO NOT MATCH THE INTENSITY OF YOUR OWN." He took my hand in his. "SO I HOPE YOU WILL TAKE MY APOLOGIES INSTEAD."

I patted him gently on the arm. "Oh Papyrus. You are so very sweet. Will I ever find any as great as you?"

"OF COURSE NOT! BUT I WILL HELP YOU SETTLE FOR SECOND BEST."

C's voice wrapped around my ear. "Sans is at the top of the stairs, flipping his brother off."

Is he now?

"AH. LET ME GIVE YOU MY PHONE NUMBER SO THAT YOU MAY CALL FOR ADVICE ON YOUR TRAVELS." When I pulled out my phone, he frowned deeply. "OH, THAT SIMPLY WILL NOT DO!" 

Swiping the phone from my hand he went up the stairs in two easy strides to one of the rooms, and I quickly followed. In the room was a very standard bed and a very non-standard, work bench. After fiddling around in the drawers of the bench, he pulled out a phone similar to mine, and began disassembling it. He powered down my phone before carefully removing the cracked screen and replacing it with a new one. 

"THERE! MUCH BETTER!" He turned the phone back on and handed it to me. 

"Thank you."

He smiled softly. "OF COURSE."

I looked around the room. He had two tall book shelves, the bottom shelves of which were covered in a variety of books. The upper shelves were filled with carefully constructed models, some of which were clock work and made to move on their own. The 'Shinigami' from Gundam Wing rested next to a Supermarine Walrus. A complete model of the city Minas Tirith stood next to a tiny, working, Ferris wheel. He seemed pleased at my interest, though he said nothing while I looked over his collection.

"How long does it take you to build a model?"

He shrugged absently. "IT DEPENDS ON IF THE MODEL WAS FROM A KIT OR IF I NEEDED TO MANUFACTURE THE PARTS MYSELF."

"These are all things from the surface." I turned to him. "How did you get them?"

"AH. WELL, THE DUMP IS A GOOD PLACE TO LOOK FOR DISCARDED KITS."

"And the manufactured ones? How do you make the parts?"

"OH MY BROTHER GOT ME AN EASY BAKE FOUNDRY A FEW YEARS AGO AND IT IS A SUPREME DELIGHT."

I covered my face as I laughed. "How'd you get it off the Satellite of Love?"

"MY DEAR LADY! I DID NOT KNOW I WAS IN THE PRESENCE OF ANOTHER MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER FAN! PERHAPS I SHOULD RETHINK THE DATE..."

The spiders in my sweater crawled up to the collar, peering out for a moment before hiding away again. 

I gently patted the sweater and sighed. "I need to be on my way. Thank you for fixing my phone."

He nodded once and stood, walking me to the door. "PLEASE BE CAREFUL. AS YOU LEAVE SNOWDIN, YOU WILL HEAD INTO WATERFALL, WHICH IS MUCH WARMER, DESPITE BEING DEEPER INTO THE CAVERN."

Once back out in the cold, I headed for the fog bank again and through it. On the other side of the tree line, the path gave way to a rockier surface. Blue and purple crystals sprouted from the ground here and there along the path. Even before I saw them, I could hear the rush of the waterfalls that gave the place it's name. Before I could get too far in, I found another sentry post, with snow still on it's roof somehow, and Sans' sitting in it. His feet were up on the counter, chair leaning back as he looked through a vintage, muscle car magazine.

He gave me a rather wry smile when he saw me. "What? Haven't you seen a guy with two jobs before? Fortunately, two jobs means twice as many legally-required breaks. I'm going to Grillby's. Wanna come?"

My stomach took that moment to rumble. Grillby's had been a bar I'd passed earlier in Snowdin, but hadn't explored. Here's to hoping they had some decent food. "Yeah."

He put his feet down and stood, stretching a little. He came out of the sentry post. "I know a short cut." He put an arm around my waist, and before I could move away from him, teleported the both of us to the inside of an overly warm bar and grill. So that's how he and his brother had been getting around. Could other monsters do that as well?

C's voice wrapped around my ear. "I don't know. I don't remember other monsters doing that. My parents certainly couldn't."

"Hey, guys."

Everyone from the guard dogs, all of whom were in the bar, to the locals had the place packed.

"Hello, Sans!"

"Yo, Sans!"

"Greetings, Sans."

"Hiya, Sansy."

"Hello, Puppy!" The female guard dog reached out and petted my head.

The skeleton smirked. "'Puppy,' huh?"

I looked up at him. "What of it, 'Bones?'"

"Bones?"

I stared him down, daring him to challenge it. He only shrugged and did so with an ease that said he didn't mind the name. 

"Here, get comfy."

I hopped up on a bar stool, only to have a whoopee cushion deflate beneath me. I sighed, hanging my head a little. 

"Whoops! Watch where you sit down. Sometimes weirdos put whoopee cushions on the seats."

I picked up the deflated cushion and casually tossed it at him. By which, I mean I smacked him right in his boney face.

He chuckled and shoved the cushion in a pocket. "Whaddya want? Burger or Fries?"

Honestly, after Papyrus, I could do with both, but I settled on the protein. "Burger, please."

The brow of his skull lifted at the please and it was the weirdest motion I'd ever seen. Like he had an eyebrow there and the bone had lifted instead. It made sense, but, how was a skull so... elastic? Was it because he was a monster? His face was rounder than his brother's despite the matching cracks. And was it just me or was the way he wore his jeans low on his ilium just a little obscene?

He ordered burgers for both of us and as the bartender made of flames left for the kitchen, his smile fell. "Why didn't you hurt my brother?"

I looked at the man who'd just a moment ago popped a whoopee cushion under me. The ease that surrounded him like a cloud was gone, replaced by a deep worry. I shook my head. "Why would I ever hurt such a cinnamon roll? He never had any intention of harming me, despite what he said."

"He had a cage set up for you in the garage."

"And I'm pretty sure it would have taken no skill what so ever for me to have gotten out of it."

He nodded as the food came out. "Want some hot sauce?"

I shook my head and bit into the burger. Oh yeah. That was good burg. 

"Good. More for me." He lifted the bottle of hot sauce and drank it.

I shrugged and kept eating. 

Bones elbowed me. "Hey. I wanted to ask you something. Do you know what you have to do to leave the Underground?"

I paused between bites and looked at him. "Me personally? Yes."

"So what will you do?"

I stared at the burger in my hands. "I don't know. But until I figure that out, I do have a job to do. How long have you been a sentry here in Snowdin?"

He shrugged. "Uh... A hundred years or so, I guess. I lost track of time a while ago."

"I've got a list of names. Can you tell me if any of them sound familiar?"

"Sure."

"Cecilia Indigo, Sabri Vinil, Euridice Boyd, Leo Cam, Heidi Jaydon, and Hector Iola."

He put the hot sauce bottle down, but his smile wasn't reaching his eye sockets. "They're the fallen. You looking for them? Because you won't find them." He frowned deeply. "Well, that's not true. You can find their souls in New Home. The king has them hidden away somewhere." He turned to look at me. "You know? You could just stay here. You'd just be another boss monster."

I stared at the food in my hands and thought about mom. "No. I have to get back."

"Is someone waiting for you?" 

"Yeah." I finished my burger. "How much for the food?"

He waved it off. "Hey, Grillby? Put it on my tab."

The flame monster nodded, before pushing the glasses on his face a bit further up. 

"Speaking of names, ya got one, Babe?"

"Frisk."

Bones stood up, stretching a little. "Welp. That was a long break. I can't believe I let you pull me away from work for that long. I guess I'll be seeing you around, Frisk." He disappeared.

The bartender, Grillby?, wrapped up Bones' uneaten burger to go and handed it to me. "The names you mentioned? I knew Heidi. She worked here for a little while. She was a good cook."

"Why did she leave?"

"She said she needed to go home."

I frowned. How did he remember something from so long ago? Or maybe, monsters saw time differently from being so long lived? "Thank you."

"Good luck."

I headed back out into the snow.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five  
(Sans (Bones) is our narrator!)

Frisk walked passed my sentry station, but didn't stop to talk, heading directly into Waterfall instead. The spiders she'd been keeping in her sweater came out and hung on her arms and back, enjoying the cool spray of the waters, but not getting off just yet. I stood, stretched, and followed after her. Undyne was somewhere up ahead and that was a collision course that didn't need to happen. 

And wouldn't it just be my luck that I spotted a particular, shiny armor? I short cut ahead of Frisk and pulled her into a mass of tall reeds, motioning for her to be quiet. Just above us on the hill, Undyne stood, back to us. Papyrus walked up, standing next to her.

"GREETINGS, UNDYNE! I'M HERE WITH MY REPORT. REGARDING THE HUMAN ALPHYS ALERTED US TOO--"

Undyne's voice was barely a whisper behind her metal mask. "Did you fight them?"

"OF COURSE."

"Did you capture them?"

"ALAS, THEY ESCAPED MY CLUTCHES."

"I'm glad. Humans are too dangerous. It's best if I take their soul myself."

"THERE IS NO NEED TO DESTROY THEM..."

"Papyrus! We are one soul away from opening the barrier! I will not scatter the hopes and dreams of all monsters for one human!"

Paps sighed. "I UNDERSTAND." He turned and left, visibly disappointed. 

Someone moved near us, causing the reeds to crackle. Undyne turned, looking in our direction, a glowing spear in her hand. Her eyes swept over the reeds before falling on Frisk, who stared her down, unflinching. Undyne turned and walked away, disappearing in the shadows. We walked out of the reeds only to be followed by MK, an arm-less lizard monster, who was very likely out and about without his parents knowing.

MK was practically jumping up and down in front of Frisk, his scaly feet pounding the earth. "Yo... did you see the way she was staring at you...? That... was AWESOME! I'm SOOOO jealous! What'd you do to get her attention...? C'mon! Let's go watch her beat up some bad guys!" He ran off, tripped, fell flat on his face, hopped back to his feet, and kept running. 

One of the glowing, star crystals shined on the path. Frisk touched it, eyes closing against the flare. 

"Do you know what that does?"

She looked up at me. "I don't know. I just feel like I should touch them. Do you know what they are?"

I shook my skull. "As far as I know, it's just a rock." 

We continued into the heart of Waterfall only for Frisk to stop dead on the path. In front of her lay the full beauty of the brilliant, eternal night of the aquifer. Glowing waterfalls and luminous pools of water were surrounded by fields of blue Echo Flowers and gleaming crystals. She blinked a few times, the 'mask' falling away and the woman in the photo appeared. She sat down, knees drawn up, eyes wide to take it all in. I sat next to her, cross legged, giving her a few minutes to enjoy the scenery, while I took the time to enjoy watching this woman. The one I'd waited so long for. 

After a while, she stood and waited for me to follow her into the fields of flowers. As she walked, the 'mask' slid back into place, hiding her again. 

The hologram on her shoulder frowned at her. "Hey. You know it's okay to just be happy, right?"

Frisk frowned at him, but didn't respond. Or at least, not vocally, because the hologram just shook his head. Following the path through the fields of flowers, lit by the glow of the water and the sparkle of the crystal stalactites above. The Echo Flowers whispered at us, but she only stopped to listen once.

"C'mon, sis! Make a wish!"

"I wish to see the real stars one day."

She didn't stop to listen to any others.

The path led up to a wooden deck stretching over the water of a particularly large lake. Hanging on the rock wall the deck abutted were a series of engraved plaques. And she stopped to inspect them, reading them aloud.

"The War of Humans and Monsters. Why did the humans attack? Indeed, it seemed that they had nothing to fear. Humans are unbelievably strong. It would take the SOUL of nearly every monster just to equal the power of a single human SOUL."

She moved on to the next plaque. "But humans have one weakness. Ironically, it is the strength of their SOUL. It's power allows it to persist outside the human body, even after death." 

She glanced at the hologram briefly, while he seemed fascinated with the plaques. 

"If a monster defeats a human, they can take its SOUL. A monster with a human SOUL. A horrible beast with unfathomable power." 

The last plaque held a carving of just such a creature, a tall, black, awful thing with a slash for a smile. I shivered, unsettled, and looked away. 

"The legend above ground says that war broke out, but not why."

I turned to her as she inspected the plaque.

Frisk's fingers gently traced the relief. "This would be enough to frighten anyone, but my version of the legend doesn't mention it."

I frowned. "What does it say?"

"It said that the monsters retreated to a secret place and that after a time of great strife, they would return to bolster us, and make us strong in the eyes of the world."

I shrugged. "I don't know about all that. Our story says that we were forced into the cavern and locked inside by the power of seven human wizards. Only with the power of seven human souls can we hope to open the barrier."

Frisk opened her mouth to say something and stopped, confused. "That it?"

"What?"

"You just need seven human souls?"

"Yeah..."

She sighed, exasperated. "But a monster only needs one to walk out of the barrier. And human souls are persistent, right? Why not take one soul, walk outside to the nearest cemetery, grab a couple more, and come back? It'd take, I don't know, an hour or two? Maybe more depending on where the barrier lets out. But really? Why the wait?"

I sucked in a breath. "Did the goat prince tell you what happened to his mother?"

Frisk nodded.

"Asgore declared war on humanity after that and that 'war' has been bolstering the hopes of monsters for the last several hundred years. But that also means, if the barrier falls, he feels he must make good on that and Asgore..." I sighed. "He's a good man. He doesn't want war."

"So he waits it out?!" Frisk threw up her hands walking away from me a few steps before turning around. "Why not just say, 'Hey! It's been hundreds of years! Things have changed! I declare an end to the war. Be back in a few to open the barrier!'?" Her hands squeezed into fists and the 'mask' cracked suddenly with fury. "The country sitting on top of this mountain is small. The countries around us treat our people and our resources like low hanging fruit. We need to rely on underhanded military tactics in order to keep our sovereignty. If monsters are as powerful as the plaques imply, there wouldn't have been a need for those things. I wouldn't have had to..."

Frisk stopped, refusing to say whatever came next, and covered her face with her hands, shaking. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly, counting softly to calm herself.

Sighing, her hands dropped, the expressionless mask back in place. "Let's just get to the capitol." She turned and walked to the end of the deck, stepping on a small platform, that floated her to the other side. As I waited for it to return, a glowing spear slammed into the deck in front of her. 

Undyne's gleaming armor appeared on the walkway above Frisk and a barrage of glowing spears appeared, spinning in the air. Frisk dodged to on side, looking to grab a spear out of the air. 

"No!" the hologram shouted and Frisk suddenly teetered, falling to the deck and rolling to avoid the spears. The spiders climbing all over her, scattered to avoid being squished. Frisk found her feet and made a run for it, sprinting for a batch of tall reeds. Undyne followed her into the reeds and came to a stop. Reaching in the brush, she pulled out MK, who looked deliriously happy to have been touched by his hero. Undyne put him down with a sigh and walked out of the reeds, disappearing again on the upper levels of the deck. 

Frisk slogged out of the reeds, followed by MK, who practically danced behind her. I short cut over to them.

"Did you see that? Undyne touched me! I'm never washing my face again!!!" He ran off, tripping, as usual, before finding his feet and continuing on.

Frisk looked at C, eyes blazing. "Don't EVER do that again! You could have gotten us killed!"

"You were going to fight her!"

"She was trying to kill me and I have the right to defend myself!" 

"That door in your head was opening! You were going to kill her!"

"How dare you! You've only been in my head for all of two days and you think you can make proclamations on what I will and won't do? Do not interfere again!" The hologram disappeared from her shoulder and Frisk blinked, before groaning. "Oh, that's just obscene." She huffed. "And childish." Frisk knelt, gathering up the spiders. "Are you guys okay?"

After ascertaining that they were fine, she continued on to a small clearing with a single Echo Flower and another glowing, crystal star. She touched it before heading deeper into Waterfall. I wonder what compelled her to touch the things. Something definitely happened when she did, but it happened so quickly, that I didn't have a moment to figure it out. She always walked away looking more determined and even a little refreshed. 

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she looked at me suspiciously. "Don't you have a job?"

I smiled and it must have been infuriating because she frowned. "Several! But right now, I'm more interested in keeping an eye on you, Babe."

"So you're babysitting?"

My shoulders dropped. "Hardly." I nodded toward the path. "Come on. Onion-San is up a head. And he could probably use a little company."

She lifted an eyebrow and shrugged, letting me take the lead. We rounded the bend and came up to a high bridge over a low lake that was slowly drying out if the ground around the lake was any indication. A long yellow tentacle lifted into the air as we walked over the bridge. Followed by another. And another. I stopped in the middle of the bridge and leaned on the railing, watching the water as a massive, yellow, onion-shaped head emerged from the water. Bright, happy eyes, and a big smile greeted us. 

"Hey there. Noticed you were here."

I waved. "Hey, Onion-San."

"Oh, hello, Sans. You haven't visited in a while."

I shrugged. "Sorry about that. There's someone I'd like you to meet. This is Frisk."

Frisk leaned on the railing. "Hello."

Onion-San's smile kicked up an notch. "Hello! You're visiting Waterfall, huh? It's great here! Do you love it?"

Frisk smiled at his enthusiasm. "It's very beautiful."

"Oh Yeah! It's my big favorite! Even if the water is getting shallow here. I have to sit down all the time."

She looked around. "Is it drying out or draining off somewhere?"

Onion-San blinked, like the thought hadn't occurred to him. "I... I don't know? When the water started dropping, my friends and family left for the Aquarium in New Home. But I won't leave! I really love it here. Even if it's lonely..."

Frisk shrugged. "Let's have a look around and find out what's going on with the water. If it's a matter of draining, off, we just need to plug up the drain. But if it's a matter of drying out, we need to find where the original source of water came from and open it back up." She pulled out her phone and stared at it for a moment. "What's your brother's number? He said he was going to give it to me, but forgot it in replacing my cracked screen."

I smiled at her. The mask had cracked again and the woman in the photo was looking at me. I rattled off the number. 

She quick tapped it in and Papyrus picked up on the first ring. Even with the volume low, my brother's voice came through loud and clear. "HELLO?" 

"Hey, Papyrus. I'm at the bridge over Onion-San's lake with your brother and I could use a hand."

"IT WILL TAKE ME A BIT TO GET THERE."

"I know you can teleport," she deadpanned.

"AH. WELL THEN! JUST A MOMENT." Paps appeared on the bridge next to me. "HOW MAY I BE OF ASSISTANCE, DEAR LADY."

Frisk turned, pointing down toward the south edge of the lake. "Onion-San's lake is either draining or isn't receiving the required amount of water to maintain it's normal water level. I'd like you to check the lake edge that way." She pointed to the west. "Bones, you take that side. I'll head up the north bank. Onion-San, look along the east bank." 

We split up. Walking to the other side of the bridge, I walked north along the west bank of the lake, keeping my eye sockets peeled for anything unusual. I found a heavy grouping of withered Echo Flowers while everything else around them was flush. When I pushed the brittle stems aside, I found a dry creek bed. 

"Hey, guys! Found something!"

As soon as Frisk and Paps made it over, we walked along the dry bed, Onion-San waiting in the lake behind us. We came up on a make shift dam made of rocks, broken pieces of wood, and various crystals. It was pretty thick to hold the water back, causing a small lake to form behind it. I frowned. Onion-San's drying lake had been a problem for a while and I, or anyone else for that matter, hadn't thought to try and find out why. Was something wrong with monsters that it took a human, and one with a lot LOVE none the less, to actively seek out a solution to such a serious problem?

Paps pointed back the way the creek came. "THIS WILL EVENTUALLY FLOOD WHATEVER IS BACK THAT WAY. IF ANYONE LIVES ALONG THE CREEK, THEY WILL SURELY LOSE THEIR HOMES IF NOT THEIR LIVES."

Frisk nodded. "How do we dismantle it?"

Paps knelt, pointing along a line between rocks and wood. "IF WE REMOVE THE DEBRIS IN THIS AREA, THE WATER SHOULD PROVIDE ENOUGH PRESSURE TO KNOCK THE REST OF THE DAM OUT." He looked up at me and I nodded, confirming. Getting down to work, we started pulling the dam apart.

"Hey! Get away from there!"

Three teenage lizard monsters ran up only to stop dead and back up when they got a good look at us. 

"Boss Monsters! Cheez-it!" They turned to run.

"Stop right where you are!" Frisk growled.

All three froze in place.

"Front and center. Now."

All three turned and lined up in front of her, trembling.

Frisk pointed to the dam. "Why have you blocked the creek?"

"So we could make a swimming hole," one kid offered, staring at his feet.

Frisk pointed. "The lake is only a short walk that way."

The oldest one was a bit more indignant. "Yeah. We know. But we aren't going anywhere near that Onion Head. He's annoying!"

"We go to swim and he doesn't leave us alone. He just talks and talks," the second whined.

Frisk crossed her arms over her chest and gave them a vicious glare. "He talks and talks because his friends and family left for the Aquarium in New Home when the water level started dropping. Which means you blocked this off long before he was lonely enough to just latch on to anyone from lack of contact."

The teens cringed a little, looking at each other in fear. "Hey! We were just having some fun!"

"Your fun could have resulted in the death of other monsters either from drying out the ones living in the lake or drowning the ones living up the river. Which means your LOVE would have increased. Such behavior shows a complete lack of care and concern for the people around you. It's despicable." She pointed to the dam. "Dismantle it. NOW."

Papyrus gave me a rather sly smile as the teens squeaked and made for the debris. Pulling the wood and stone away, the dam broke, and the water gushed down the dry creek bed. The teens turned to run.

"Get back here!"

They froze, cringing at Frisk's anger, and turned back, lining up in front of her again.

"The three of you will go and apologize to Onion-San. You've wrecked his home, his family, his friendships, and his hopes. You will make it up to him." She pointed toward the lake. "March!" 

The teens turned and walked toward the lake, the three of us following behind them. Once the kids were on the bridge and making their apologies, Paps pulled me aside. 

"SHE CAN BE RATHER FRIGHTENING, NO? BUT RIGHT NOW, SHE LOOKS MORE LIKE THE WOMAN IN THE PHOTO."

I nodded and sighed. "Someone with her amount of LOVE should not be half this caring. But here she is. Transporting spiders to their relatives in her clothing while helping Onion-San, and berating a trio of teens for acting selfishly. Are we missing something?"

"WHAT HAS SHE SAID ABOUT HERSELF?"

"Almost nothing."

"ALMOST?"

"When she figured out that Asgore could have dropped the barrier ages ago, she was livid. Like the failure of monsters to be physically present on the surface right now was a personal affront."

Paps frowned, and looked at Frisk. "PERHAPS, MY BROTHER, SHE HAS WALKED THROUGH FIRE, AND HAD WE BEEN THERE, SHE NEEDN'T EVER HAVE DONE SO."

The teens sulked as they walked off the bridge in the direction of New Home. 

One of Onion-San's long tentacles came out of the water, reaching up to Frisk. "Thank you sooooo much for helping me! I really appreciate it! The water... it's already getting higher!"

She took a tentacle in both hands. "You're welcome. That was a great idea you had to send them to the Aquarium to tell your family what they'd done."

"It was?! Oh... I was so nervous in the asking! Thank you! And thank you, Sans and Papyrus!"

My brother and I waved from where we stood as Onion-San sank back under the water. Frisk came down off the bridge, the expressionless 'mask' back in place.

"IF YOU'LL PARDON ME, I NEED TO RETURN HOME."

Frisk nodded. "Thank you for your help, Papyrus."

"OF COURSE." He disappeared with a teleport, leaving Frisk and I alone again. 

Leaving the lake area, we went deeper into Waterfall and into a warmer part of the cavern. More plaques lined the walls here, and Frisk stopped to read them.

"This power has no counter. Indeed, a human cannot take a monster's SOUL. When a monster dies, its SOUL disappears. An incredible power would be needed to take the SOUL of a living monster."

"There is only one exception. The SOUL of a special species of monster called a 'Boss Monster.' A Boss Monster's SOUL is strong enough to persist after death, if only for a few moments. A human could absorb this SOUL. But this has never happened."

"And now it never will."

Frisk stepped back from the plaque. "And now it never will? That's an odd way to put it. Did someone plan for a human to take a boss monster's soul?"

C immediately appeared on Frisk's shoulder, but didn't say anything. Instead, he stared at the plaque with a look of pure horror on his holographic face. I frowned and looked at the plaque. Though I'd read it before, I hadn't interpreted the meaning like that. I'd simply thought it meant that, now that we were sealed underground, that such an act could never happen. I'd always supposed that the plan was, once Prince Chara had died of old age, one of the Dreemurrs would take his soul and leave to gather enough to open the barrier. Read like this, it seemed more like some boss monster was supposed to give the human prince their soul.

If this was truly the case, who was the 'lucky' boss monster?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six  
(Frisk is our narrator!)

C was entirely too distressed at the implication of a human taking a monster soul. Was that because the idea of harboring a loved one like that was such a foreign idea that it was horrifying? He had no comment on those thoughts. 

When we stepped into the next part of the cavern I felt water dripping all around me. I held out a hand, catching a few of the drops. "It's raining." I looked up, shielding my eyes a little against the drops overhead. "Those are clouds. Actual clouds." I looked to the skeleton with the cracked skull still standing next to me. "You have a complete weather system down here?"

Bones nodded. "The snow in Snowdin doesn't just magically appear."

I spied a basket full of umbrellas and snagged one to cover my head. Bones simply walked along next to me, uncaring of the rain, even as it trickled along the cracks in his skull and dripped softly along his eye sockets. A little ways down the puddle filled path, the arm-less lizard child in the striped shirt waited under an out cropping of rock for the rain to pass.

"Yo!" He called. "You got an umbrella? Awesome!" He ran over and stood next to me. For a child, he came up to my shoulder. I wondered how long it would be until he was full grown and how tall that was. He was certainly not of the same kind of monster as the teens before. We continued through the rain.

"Man! Undyne is soooo cool! She beats up bad guys and NEVER loses. If I was a human, I would wet the bed every night knowing she was gonna beat me up! Ha ha!"

Bones snorted and I glared at him. Catching a look at an Echo Flower on the other side of the water, I stopped for a moment to look at it.

The child jumped in place excitedly. "One time, we had a school project where we had to take care of a flower. The King - we had to call him 'Mr. Dreemurr' - volunteered to donate his own flowers. He ended up coming to school and teaching the class about responsibility and stuff. That got me thinking... How COOL would it be if UNDYNE came to school!?! She could beat up all the teachers!!"

I chuckled, smiling a little. He certainly was enthusiastic about his hero. He followed as I walked on.

"Uh... Maybe she wouldn't beat up the teachers. She's too cool to ever hurt an innocent person!"

We came out of the rain to a wide lake. Across it, I could see a massive castle in the distance under sparkling stars. Well, sparkling stalactites. It was still beautiful none the less and I stopped for a minute to gaze over the gently lapping water. Bones stood with us, but he wasn't enjoying the view. He was looking at me.

Being watched was nothing new for me. I was observed constantly by mom and dad, teachers, relatives, and baby sitters growing up. In basic, I'd been under the watchful eyes of my superior officers. Even under the deepest of covers during the Project, I'd been monitored either by my CO or enemies suspicious of my true origins. But this was different. He wasn't watching me to care for, teach, to correct, or even to stop me if I caused anyone harm. He was waiting for something. 

Why?

We continued on in silence, eventually coming to another basket full of umbrellas. I returned the one I'd taken and walked over to a wall that blocked our path. It wouldn't be too hard to climb. Before I could reach up, the lizard child bent over, putting his shoulders under my knees, and lifted me up and over the ledge.

"You wanna see Undyne, right? You go on ahead. I'll find another way to get through!" He turned and ran off.

"Wait!" I reached out for him, and sighed when he disappeared behind a rock. I looked at Bones. "Go get him and get him up here before he falls flat on his face somewhere dangerous."

The skeleton smiled and shrugged. "All right."

I turned and looked behind me. One of those glowing star crystals sat on the ground just ahead. I walked over and touched it, feeling warmer and less tired. What time was it? I checked my phone but it'd gone black, the battery having run out. There were more plaques on the wall. I stopped to read them.

"The humans, afraid of our power, declared war on us. They attacked suddenly and without mercy. In the end, it could hardly be called a war. United, the humans were too powerful, and us monsters, too weak. Not a single SOUL was taken, and countless monsters were turned to dust."

I frowned and turned. Ahead was a two level deck over the face of the water. When I stepped onto it, I was on the upper portion. Glowing blue spots appeared on the deck around me before spears shot out of them. None had hit me, but the warning shot was clear enough. I looked down and saw the shine of Undyne's armor. More glowing spots appeared and I ran for it.

The deck ahead wasn't the least bit logical in design, having been built on ascetic alone. Instead of trying to find a path around, I made running leaps across the openings, looking to find an exit, or at least to outpace the woman below me. I saw what looked like a large area and a massive path off it. Hoping it was the path off the deck, I went for it and skidded to a halt at the dead end over a long drop I couldn't see the bottom of in the darkness. The spiders crawled under my sweater nervously as the pounding of armored feet came up behind me. 

C didn't attempt to take control of my body as I turned around this time and readied to fight. I shouldn't have bothered. A massive blue spear hit the deck and the wood underneath me splintered. The deck collapsed, sending me into the darkness below. I held on, attempting to keep the wooden slats underneath me straight, and landed with a splash at the bottom of a massive waterfall. Climbing to my feet, I checked the spiders.

"You guys okay?"

They answered in the affirmative, but looked winded. With the piece of the deck I was on floating steady in the water, I sat down and pulled a cinnamon bun from my pack, opening it for the spiders. They poured out of the collar of the sweater and ate it gratefully. I took a moment to look around. I was in a dump of some sort. Garbage piled high in masses all around us. I checked the things in my bag and found them in good condition, nothing wet. As soon as the spiders finished eating, I found a shallow part of the water, and hoofed it toward one of the piles. 

It was all material from the surface. Clothing, games, toys, books. You name it and it was here. I took a moment to dig around, keeping my eyes open for anything useful. And was disappointed by the water logged nature of half of what I found. I did find a copy of Lem's 'Solaris' in English, and in pretty good condition, so I stowed it in my pack. It'd be useful to help me key down before I went to sleep.

Climbing to the top of a pile of monster trash, confirming it as a communal dump, I saw a ramp leading out of the waste. Climbing back down, I decided that C had been too quiet.

"Don't have anything to say?"

He sat on the couch in the living room of the cabin, staring at the fire place, looking a little shell shocked. "Not particularly."

"Want to talk?"

"No."

I climbed over a mess of broken boards. "It helps. And if you wait until you're 'ready,' you'll never be."

"Speaking from experience?"

"That basement door didn't just appear, Chara."

He laid on his back, staring up at the wooden ceiling. "Okay. So I have a lot, if not all, of Chara Dreemurr's memories. And, uh, Mom and Dad didn't seem like the kind of people who would kill someone to give the original me a the kind of power a boss monster had. I'm not even sure why they would do it."

"How long does the average boss monster live?"

"Hundreds of years."

"Humans average eighty years. Some can push the one hundred boundary, but by monster standards, that's a really short time. They might have been looking to give the original you a longer lease on life."

He sighed. "That doesn't make me feel better."

"It might, given time." I rounded a corner and found the ramp. A training dummy stood next to it in the water. I headed for the ramp only to have the dummy rush me.

"Hahaha! To intimidated to fight me, huh? I am a ghost that lives inside of a DUMMY. My cousin used to live inside a dummy until YOU...!"

"You are literally the first training dummy I've seen down here."

"YOU were really boring! They got annoyed and flew away like any self-respecting specter.""

C burst to life on my shoulder. "She was unconscious, you idiot. She couldn't talk to anyone."

"Well then. Well Then. WELL THEN! Boring people are crumbs sticking to the face of this world. Human! I'll wipe you away with the dainty handkerchief of vengeance!"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh Lord. Well then. Bring it."

C sat down on my shoulder. "He's a ghost, so physical attacks won't hurt him."

I looked at him. "Any suggestions?"

"Yeah. All he can throw at you is magic so try to get him to attack himself."

I nodded. "I can work with that."

Several tiny dummies popped up all around us and threw what appeared to be ghostly paper balls at me. I rushed the dummy and ducked as the balls went over my head and hit him. 

"OWWWW, you DUMMIES!! Watch where you're aiming your MAGIC attacks!" He noticed me standing in front of him. "Hey! You! Forget I said anything about MAGIC!!!"

I chuckled. "You're looking nervous, my friend."

Another round of attacks came from the tiny dummies and I ducked them again so that they hit the Dummy. It glared in a mirror, making sure the expression looked right before turning it on me. I snorted and C's hologram fell over, rolling on my shoulder with laughter. I dodged another round of attacks, leaving the Dummy to spread cotton stuffing all over the place.

The Dummy stopped moving for a moment. "Hey Guys!"

All the tiny dummies came out of the water to look at him. 

"Dummies. Dummies! DUMMIES! Remember how I said NOT to shoot at me? Well... FAILURES! YOU'RE FIRED! YOU'RE ALL BEING REPLACED!!!"

All the tiny dummies sank back into the water sadly.

"Hahaha. Hahaha! HAHAHA! Now you'll see my true power: Relying on people that aren't garbage!"

My jaw dropped. "Hey! That's no way to talk about anyone!"

The Dummy ignored me as mechanical whirls filled the air. 

"Dummy Bots! MAGIC MISSILES!!!"

A group of tiny mechanical dummies came out of the water and fired a line of tiny rocket ships at me. I rushed to the side and they followed me. I continued the circle and got out of the way as they hit the Dummy. 

"DUMMY BOTS! TRY AGAIN!"

I repeated the same circle and Dummy was struck by little rockets again. 

"DUMMY BOTS! FINAL ATTACK!"

This time, several of the mechanical dummies launched themselves at me while others fired rockets. I managed to get the rockets to hit the Dummy, but not without a few of the little guys smacking into my legs and arms. I quickly popped a piece of monster candy, feeling the strange sensation of my body righting itself. 

"No way! These guys are even WORSE than the other guys!" The Dummy swung itself around madly. "Who cares? Who Cares?! WHO CARES?!?!?! I DON'T NEED FRIENDS!!!" He settled down suddenly and a knife appeared, floating in the air. And then he began to shake violently. "I'VE GOT KNIVES!!!"

He threw the knife at me and I caught it out of the air. The Dummy froze and looked around nervously. 

"I'm... Out of knives." He started jerking around manically. "BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER! YOU CAN'T HURT ME AND I CAN'T HURT YOU! YOU'LL BE STUCK FIGHTING ME... FOREVER!!!"

What looked like rain fell on the Dummy from above and appeared to hurt him badly. I looked up and found a ghost floating above him, crying. 

"What the heck is this?! Acid rain?!" The Dummy screamed. "Oh forget it! I'm out of here!" He floated away while C continued to laugh like a maniac from my shoulder.

The ghost floated toward me. "...sorry, i interrupted you, didn't i? as soon as i came over, your friend immediately left... oh no... you guys looked like you were having fun... oh no... i just wanted to say hi... oh no............" The ghost hunched in on itself. "i'm going to go home now. feel free to 'come with' if you want... but no pressure... i understand if you're busy... it's fine... no worries... just thought i'd offer... i live just ahead..." The ghost disappeared. 

I smiled and held up my fist for the bump.

C sat up on my shoulder and put his holographic fist to mine. "That was AWESOME!"

"See? We work together, and we've got this."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven  
(Frisk is our narrator!)

I climbed the ramp out of the dump and found a small, tranquil garden arranged around a small pond. One of the glowing star crystals rested in the flowers and I knelt to touch it, feeling refreshed and determined. I walked further up the path and discovered two strangely curved houses, one blue and one pink, that sort of resembled a caricature of the sheet wrapped ghost. I looked in the window of the blue house and found the ghost whose tears scared off the Dummy. I knocked on the door and entered.

The ghost looked up from his computer, a pair of hardcore headphones on his head. "oh... you really came..."

"You invited me." I smiled patiently. "Would you rather that I hadn't?"

"oh... no... i'm happy you're here. sorry, i... wasn't expecting that."

"I'm Frisk." I gestured to the hologram on my shoulder. "This is C." I pointed to the wiggling mass under my sweater. "And these are the spiders I'm taking to see their relatives."

"i'm napstablook." He gestured to the house around him. "it's not much, but make yourself at home."

"Thank you. I could use a rest." Taking a seat on the floor, I put my backpack down. Next to my arm was his record collection. In it, I spotted some really good vinyl picks as well as a few things I didn't recognize. I lifted one labelled "Spookwave."

"dang... the ambiance of that one... it's like my whole body is being spooked... and it isn't even playing..." He floated over to me. "i saw you in the ruins... the goat prince carrying you back to his home... i thought, maybe, you might have ended up like me..." 

"Ended up like..." My jaw dropped. "What was your name before it was Napstablook?"

"it was never... anything else..." He floated to the fridge. "are you hungry?"

I shook my head. "I'm good."

"after a great meal i like to lie on the ground and feel like garbage... it's a family tradition... do you want... to join me...?"

I shrugged. "Sure."

"okay... follow my lead..."

He laid down flat on the floor. I checked to make sure I wouldn't be laying on any of the spiders before resting back as comfortably as I could.

"here we go... you'll get comfortable the more still you are... so... only move around when you want to get up, i guess."

I lay there for a minute and felt... heavy? Yeah. Heavy. But I also felt like I was floating. The house around us faded away, revealing the cosmos, vast and infinite. Bright stars, pulsing quasars, and spiral galaxies moved about us in a fantastically expanding blackness. I relaxed fully, resting my hands on my stomach. C looked around, watching as a comet sped by on my right. The spiders crawled out of the sweater to sit on my chest.

I wondered for a moment what kind of hallucination I was having, but then decided that it didn't matter. I was relaxed and I trusted that my finely honed senses would warn me of any real danger. I wasn't sure how long I laid there, but as soon as I moved to sit up, the universe slipped away, and Napstablook's home returned. The spiders crawled back inside the sweater and C sat down on my shoulder. 

"Woah."

"Yeah," C echoed.

"i need to go to work now... i'll see you later... or not..."

I smiled as I sighed. "I need to get the spiders to their relatives. Thank you for inviting me to your house, Napstablook."

"you're welcome..." He faded away. 

I stood, and after making sure the door was firmly shut behind me, continued through Waterfall. The cavern ahead was dark despite the strange, blue flamed pillars. 

C pointed. "If you touch those mushrooms, they'll light up, and illuminate the path."

"Thanks."

"I wonder where the Bone-head is."

I frowned. I wondered about that too. "Do you think he's in trouble?" I touched a mushroom clump, revealing a path to a second and then third clump.

C shook his head. "He's a boss monster so I doubt it. You'll want to hit the lamps in this room to light the way."

"Got it." I touched a lamp and could barely make out another in the gloom but made it before the lights went out completely. The next room was even darker with only C's glow to help me make out a path. I walked forward until I ran into a glowing Echo Flower.

"Behind you," it whispered in a familiar fish woman's voice.

I turned. And in the dim light, I could make out Undyne's shining armor. 

"Seven. Seven human souls. With the power of seven human souls, our king... King Asgore Dreemurr... will become a god. With that power, Asgore can finally shatter the barrier. He will finally take the surface back from humanity... And give them back the suffering and pain that we have endured. Understand, human? This is your only chance at redemption."

Fury blossomed in my chest, and C was suddenly in my head, holding the door to the basement shut. "Woah! Calm down, Frisk!"

"Give up your soul. Or I'll tear it from your body."

My voice dripped like ice from my lips. "You. Can. Try." 

Undyne summoned a glowing spear, rushing me. But before she came close, the arm-less lizard boy came out of the reeds to my right.

"Undyne!!! I'll help you fight!!!"

Undyne came to a halt, spear disappearing from her gauntlet covered hands. She grabbed the child by the ear and dragged him away.

"Hey! You aren't gonna tell my parents about this, are you?"

I let out the breath I was unconsciously holding and shook my head.

C stepped away from the basement door, staring up at the viper burned into the wood. "I am putting locks on this thing!"

I sighed. "If it makes you feel better."

"What got you so bothered so suddenly? It was like super calm to awful death in two seconds!" 

I stared at the retreating armor. "The very idea that death equals redemption is a coward's gambit."

I followed the retreating armor, my eyes adjusting to the darkness enough that I could see a faint path on the right. I took it and walked into a field of Echo Flowers. Golden, glowing, lightning bugs filled the air. The path ended in water and I stepped into it, forging ahead while holding my pack up, the spiders riding on my head. Coming out of the water, the path picked up, and led to a bridge over a high ravine. 

As I walked across the bridge, the lizard child came up behind me. "Yo!" He approached slowly, frightened. "I know I'm not supposed to be here, but... I wanna ask you something." He fidgeted nervously. "Oh man. I've never had to ask anyone this before." He took a deep breath. "Are you a kid boss monster? Or are you a human?"

"I'm human."

"Man! I knew it!" His excitement bled away. "Well, I know it now, I mean..." He frowned. "Undyne told me, um, 'stay away from that human.' So I guess that makes us enemies or something." He smiled sadly. "But I kinda stink at that." He laughed nervously. "Can you say something mean so I can hate you?"

I shook my head. "No. I won't do that."

"What? So I have to do it?" His face fell. "Here goes nothing..." He took a deep breath. "Yo, I... I hate your guts!"

I wasn't sure how I did it, but I managed not to laugh. "That is the least offensive insult I've ever been served."

His head fell, lips trembling. "Man, I... I'm such a turd. I'm... I'm gonna go home now."

"Wait." I put my hands on his arm-less shoulders. "Listen. Hate is a powerful thing. It's something that eats away at you and destroys the goodness that naturally lives in your heart. Don't hate anyone, not even your enemies. Hate harms you more than it harms that which you spend it on. Okay?"

He nodded.

"You really should go home. I'm pretty sure your parents are waiting."

He turned and headed back down the bridge, only to trip and fall. He slid off the side, barely hanging on with his clawed feet dug into the pillar. "Help! I tripped!"

Undyne stepped onto the bridge. I ignored her, grabbing the kid, and pulling him back up. As Undyne stepped forward, the child stepped between us.

"Y... y... yo... dude... If you wanna hurt my friend... You're gonna have to get through me, first."

I gasped, reaching for him to put him behind me. But Undyne simply walked away.

"She's gone." The child frowned, looking at the ground for a moment before looking at me. "Yo, you really saved my skin. I guess being enemies was just a nice thought." He laughed a little and gave me a big smile. "We'll just have to be friends instead." He sighed heavily. "Man... I really need to go home." He turned and walked to the end of the bridge. "Later, dude!"

I waved as he disappeared back into the darkness of the cavern. Sighing I turned and looked ahead. Undyne wouldn't let this one slide. She'd be waiting up ahead. And she was. Standing at the very apex of a mass of rock, and looking heavy metal album cover epic.

C snorted. "Okay, of all your internal descriptions so far, that one was the best."

I smiled. "I'm not going to kill her. But I am roughing her up a bit."

"Alright." C looked back at the basement door. I wasn't sure how he did it, but he'd placed several bolts on it, locking it down. I looked up at Undyne. 

"Seven. Seven human souls, and King Asgore will become a god." She turned slightly, still not looking directly at me. "Six. That's how many we have collected thus far. Understand?"

"I understand that you need seven human souls. But none of the plaques you've got hanging around this place mentions that they needed to be forcefully separated from their bodies."

Undyne's monologue paused. She hadn't expected a response. Though I couldn't see her face through the metal helmet, I was sure she was frowning. "First, however, as is customary for those who make it this far, I shall tell you the tragic tale of our people."

C groaned. "Oh my God. Can we just skip to the fight already?"

"It all started long ago..."

C walked over to the basement door. "If she leaves my death out of the story, I swear to God, that I will just open this door for you."

"That's a bit harsh."

"Yeah. Well. You go around your whole childhood being told that your the hope of all monsters only to be immediately forgotten by everyone but your brother as soon as you die."

I inhaled sharply. Yeah. That would sting. A lot.

Undyne turned to look at me. "No. You know what? SCREW IT! WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU THAT STORY WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE!?!"

C breathed a sigh of relief and I chuckled. "I think she just forgot the words to her monologue." 

I rolled my shoulders to loosen them and the spiders in my sweater crawled to one side, huddling together.

Undyne pulled off her helmet and threw it to the ground, revealing an blue, iridescent scaled fish woman with a mass of bright red hair, and very sharp teeth. "YOU! You're standing in the way of everybody's hopes and dreams!"

I bit back a response. Telling her that her King was really the one holding that up, would not help right now, and might actually enrage her too much to start. I'd need to tire her out first.

"Alphys' history book made me think humans were cool with their giant robots and flowery swordswomen."

What history books was she reading...? Oh. Manga. Wow. Okay. I didn't have a real response to that one.

"BUT YOU?! You're just a coward!"

What was that? Ooooooh... No. No gets to say that about me. Ever. I rubbed the joints in my hands to loosen them before hopping in place twice. 

"Remember! You aren't going to kill her. Just rough her up."

"Upgrade roughing up to pummeling, C."

"You hid behind a child so you could run away again!"

C rolled his eyes. "That is not how that went down."

"And let's not forget your wimpy goody-two-shoes-schtick! Oooh! I'm making such a difference by hugging random strangers! You know what would be more valuable to everyone? IF YOU WERE DEAD!!!"

"Definitely pummeling."

"WHO ARE YOU TALKING TOO?!"

I smiled sweetly. "Oh hey, Undyne! Nice to see you join our conversation!" C burst to life on my shoulder. "This is C, an artificial intelligence based on the memory and personality of Prince Chara Dreemurr. Remember him? The human prince of all monsters? What? Is he not part of your revenge story?"

Undyne suddenly looked angry. "King Asgore has no children! The humans killed his beloved wife!"

"And how did she get out of the Underground to be killed by humans unless she had a human soul to do it with?" C asked. "You've got so many holes in your story. And those holes are so big, Optimus Prime could walk right through them!"

I held up my fist for the bump. "Nice call back to the giant robots."

C didn't leave me hanging. "We need to get you a sword and some flowers."

Undyne growled, "Your life is all that stands between us and our freedom! Right now, I can feel everyone's hearts pounding together!"

"That's a neat trick," C chortled.

"Everyone's been waiting their whole lives for this moment! But we're not nervous at all. When everyone puts their hearts together, they can't lose!"

I immediately squelched a momentary flashback of multiple coffins and a state funeral. Yeah. No. It doesn't work that way.

"Now, Human! Let's end this, right here, right now. I'll show you how determined monsters can be! Step forward when you're ready!"

I pulled the collar of the sweater open and looked inside. "Hey. Do you guys want to wait here while I do this?"

The spiders all shook their heads and huddled against me. If that wasn't the best vote of confidence ever, I didn't know what was. 

I stepped forward. "Hey! Sushi Roll! Hit me with your best shot."

Immediately incensed, she dove at me with a glowing spear. I jumped back as she hit the ground avoiding the swing as the spear came up. She over swung in her enthusiasm, and I yanked the spear from her hands. She growled and sent a barrage of spears flying at me. Spinning the spear in my hand around me, I used it block the incoming projectiles, knocking them away. She stared at me slack jawed for a moment as I swung the spear in a circle to hold it behind me and held up one hand to motion her toward me.

C looked at me from my shoulder. "Woah. That's really cocky." 

I smiled. 

Undyne summoned a new spear to her hand. "Not bad. But I doubt you've had the kind of training you need to be that cocky!" She thrust the spear at mean and I stepped to the side bringing the butt of my spear around to catch her in the stomach, hitting right in the area where her breast plate ended and the armor over her pelvis began, doubling her over. This armor was not fitted properly if I could do that. I pulled back slightly and brought the spear up, knocking her in the arms to push her back up, and kicked her in the chest. She fell backwards, sprawling on the cavern floor. 

I spun the spear around and stepped back to walk to the side, giving her the chance to stand. When she'd regained her feet and brought her spear up to defend, I went at her with a feint, spear held high. It worked and she came at me, thinking my chest and stomach were undefended. I brought the butt of my spear down on her shoulder hard enough to dent the pauldron and cause her to drop her spear. She backed up quick, pulling at the straps on her armor to get it off her shoulder and get her mobility back. 

I didn't give her the chance, advancing quickly and using my spear to knock her off her feet. She rolled away as I continuously brought the blunt end of the spear down toward her chest, looking to dent the breast plate as well and force her into submission. She suddenly stopped rolling away from me and rolled toward me instead, slamming into my legs and sending me to the cavern floor with a hiss. That smarted. 

As I rolled to my feet, she ripped the pauldron off her shoulder, getting her mobility back, and summoning a new spear. She sent a another barrage of glowing spears at me and I blocked them only to have her trip me while I was distracted with the blocking. I hit the ground and she came at me with her spear. Risking it, I brought the blunt end of my spear up, catching her chin. She went backwards with the reverse in momentum.

C tapped a map on a digital display in front of him in my head. "When you're done pummeling her, Hotland is up ahead. And I bet that armor wouldn't be so great in the sort of heat magma provides."

I found my feet, and after checking the spiders quickly, I ran up the path, feeling it become warmer immediately.

Undyne pounded the floor with her fists. "GET BACK HERE!" She found her feet and ran after me, breathing heavily. The armor she wore wasn't made for actual use. It didn't fit her properly, bent too easily under my strength, and by the pounding of the metal on the ground, was likely too heavy. A display piece found in the dump rather than the real deal. Having much longer legs than I, she reached me further up the path, knocking me down by hooking an ankle and pulling me to the ground.

I rolled over and then flipped backward to avoid her next attack, before launching myself at her chest and knocking her to the ground. I turned and made another run for it.

"Stop being so damn resilient!"

A barrage of spears came for me, stopping me in my tracks. I blocked several and then used the same trick I used on the Dummy. I moved out of the way so several went straight for her. Too busy dodging her own attack, I made a run down the path past a massive, neon sign that blinked 'WELCOME TO HOTLAND' in bright red letters.

Suddenly, my phone rang and Undyne paused in her chase after me. I looked at her for a moment, and then fished out my phone, staring at it. I could have sworn that it was out of juice. I answered the call. 

"Hello?"

"HELLO, SWEET LADY! I HAVE A PROPOSAL FOR YOU. YOU, UNDYNE, AND MYSELF SHOULD SPEND SOME TIME TOGETHER. I REALLY DO BELIEVE THAT SHE WOULD LIKE YOU A GREAT DEAL IF SHE GOT TO KNOW YOU. I'LL MEET YOU AT HER HOUSE LATER. WHEN YOU REACH THE LAB IN HOTLAND, YOU'LL FIND A FERRY THAT WILL TAKE YOU BACK TO WATERFALL. I SHALL AWAIT YOU AT THE DOCK."

He hung up and Undyne came at me again, just as furiously as before. I turned and threw my spear at her, aiming for the ground just in front of her. The sudden attack gave her pause and I ran for the glowing warmth of Hotland. I ran out of the dark cavern and into the glowing magma filled gallery beyond. A sentry post, with snow somehow still on the roof, stood off the side of a bridge. Bones napped at the post, snoozing away. 

I paused for a moment, looking over his cracked skull and restful smile, before I heard Undyne coming up from behind me. As I dashed for the bridge over the magma, Undyne spotted him too and stopped to throw her hands up in the air, infuriated beyond belief. I slowed down on the bridge, the heat rising up from below being too much to go full bore in. Undyne came after me, but was twice as slow and sweating profusely. Bones opened his eye sockets and he winked at me before disappearing from the post. Undyne stumbled toward me, reaching in vain as I stepped off the bridge. 

"Armor... so... hot..." She reached out toward me as her knees gave out. "Can't give up..." She hit the ground, red hair falling all around her. 

Looking around, I found a water cooler and filled a cup with cold water. Kneeling next to her, I rolled her so that I was cradling her head in my lap. Opening her mouth a bit, I dripped the water in a bit at a time, rubbing her throat to help her swallow. Big, yellow, cat slit eyes slowly opened as she managed the rest of the water on her own. She looked up at me, face expressionless in defeat. After helping her stand, she walked away, back across the bridge, and into the darkness of Waterfall.

Sighing, I checked the spiders. They all crawled out of my sweater, hanging on to my sleeves as I fished cinnamon buns for them and myself out of my pack. We all had a bite to eat while we were near the free water provided by the water cooler. 

Bones appeared next to me, relaxing back on his boney elbows. "Nice job, Babe."

"Where have you been?"

He rubbed the back of skull. "Eh... MK gave me the slip and when I came back to you, all I found was one of the nice decks over the water broken off. A Temmie said she spotted you heading up to where Undyne likes to make her big, 'You Will Die Now!' speech." He smirked. "So I decided to take a nap and give you some lead time. Are you going to head over to her place now?"

I frowned. "How many humans has she actually killed?"

His smile faded and he looked at me seriously. "None."

I sighed, nodding. "Then I'll go. Coming along?"

"After my stunt at the bridge? No way." He smiled again. "You'll have to go through the Lab to continue. I'll wait for you in there."

Looking around, I spied the Lab, very clearly labelled 'LAB,' just ahead. Making my way toward it, I found another glowing, star crystal and touched it, feeling a bit refreshed and a little grounded. To my left, two massive men in massive suits of armor, blocked the way north. To the south was a set of steps leading to a river. 

Heading down to the river, I found a ferry. A clocked figure, face hidden deep in the recesses of a hood, waited on the boat. 

"Tra la la. I am the riverman. Or am I the riverwoman? It doesn't really matter. I love to ride in my boat. Would you care to join me?"

"Yes, Please. I'd like to go to Waterfall."

C burst to life on my shoulder. "Seriously. We're going to Waterfall on Papyrus' suggestion? And isn't your phone dead?"

I shrugged. "Papyrus seems to know what he's doing. So if he wants me to hang with the murderous fish, I'll go hang with the murderous fish." I stepped onto the boat and it floated down the stream.

"Tra la la," the Riverperson sang, "What's my name?... It doesn't really matter..."

The boat stopped at a dock and Papyrus stood there in his dapper brown suit and lovely red scarf. He took my hand as I disembarked. "OH HO! THE LADY ARRIVES!"

"Tra la la... Come again sometime."

I looked up at Papyrus. "So where does the ferry stop?"

"SNOWDIN, WATERFALL, AND HOTLAND."

"And you didn't tell me about it."

He smiled, looking a little more like Bones. "WELL NOW. I CAN'T MAKE YOUR JOURNEY TO THE BARRIER TOO EASY, CAN I? NYEH HEH HEH!"

I sighed, letting him lead me past the path to Napstablook's house and over to a house that was shaped like a huge, mean, fish head. The shingles even looked like scales. The Dummy stood on a training mat in front of the house and I walked up to it.

"What. What? WHAT?!" It sighed. "It's a living."

I walked up to the front door and Papyrus moved to stand in front of me, blocking me from view. "ALLOW ME TO MAKE INTRODUCTIONS." 

He knocked and the door, which looked like a set of clenched teeth, opened.

Undyne, in a black tank and blue jeans, answered, genuinely pleased to see her friend. "Hi, Papyrus! Ready for your extra-private, one-on-one training?"

"OF COURSE! AND I BROUGHT A FRIEND!"

She smiled, all sharp teeth, as he stepped aside. "Hi, I don't think we've..." And then she had a good look at me. Inhaling sharply, Undyne grimaced. "Why don't. You two. Come in?"

Papyrus wiped his feet on the mat outside before stepping in and I followed suit. Just inside the door, was a very open floor plan that kept the kitchen, living room, and dining area all in one space. An actual, baby grand piano rested where the living room should have been. Displayed on the wall next to dining table was a large, anime-esque sword. 

Undyne sighed heavily. "Are you ready to start, Papyrus?"

His phone rang and he answered it. "AH! YES. I SEE." He hung up. "UNFORTUNATELY, I MUST BE OFF. I'M SURE YOU LADIES WILL HAVE QUITE A BIT OF FUN ON YOUR OWN." He turned to the door and hadn't quite shut it behind him when Undyne rounded on me. 

"So why are YOU here? To rub your victory in my face? To humiliate me even further? IS THAT IT?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes. Totally."

"Oooooh. Well, I've got news for you, BRAT. You're on my battlefield now. And you AREN'T going to humiliate me. I'll TELL you what's going to happen." She leaned over so that we were eye to cat slit, fish eye. "We're going to hang out. We're going to become 'friends.' You'll become so enamored with me, you'll be the one feeling humiliated for your actions." She laughed loudly. "Its the perfect revenge!!!" She gestured to the table with a pleasant smile. "Why don't you have a seat?"

C's voice wrapped around my inner ear. "She's weird."

I shrugged and sat at the table. "Where'd you find the baby grand?"

Her eyebrows went up. "There's a piano company in New Home. I'll get you something to drink. What would you like? I have soda, hot chocolate, and tea."

"You don't seem the soda type."

"I'm not! It rots your teeth and fighting spirit!"

I cocked my head to one side. "So why keep it?"

She looked around nervously. 

"Oh. It's for someone you like."

She looked at me with her mouth hanging open. "Shut up!"

I chuckled. "I'll take the tea."

Undyne pulled a steaming kettle from the stove and poured. "Sugar?"

"Is it the golden flower tea?"

She looked surprised, and her hands shook a little. "Yeah."

"Then no."

Undyne slammed the cup down on the table in front of me, and I scooted back quick to avoid being hit with hot tea. "How? How were you able to defeat me? I trained with Asgore for YEARS before I was able to even hit him once, and you..." Her lips curled into a sneer. "You wiped the floor with my ass! You even looked like you were having fun doing it!" 

"Actually, I was really pissed off."

She sat down, staring at me. "And what do you have to be angry about--"

I slammed both fists down on the table, leaning forward as I stood. "You play at war, but you've never actually seen it. You've not had to watch your friends and comrades die because someone decided that your country was a nice place to invade. You've not been forced to kill someone, not knowing if they were ever a threat, but also not being willing to take the chance that they were. You've not stood, covered in the blood of friend and foe alike, wondering if you'll ever see anything that looked like normal again!" I shook my head and sat, sipping the tea. "It's good."

Undyne stared at the cup in her webbed hands. "When I saw your LOVE, I thought I was justified in my pursuit. That you were some sort of monster murderer. I didn't consider that life above ground was awful enough that staying in this dark hole was preferable."

"The war's over, but some of us were asked to give more so that others wouldn't have to give any. And I don't regret the giving."

Undyne stirred her tea. "How do you live with it? The LOVE. You don't act as cold as someone with that much death surrounding them should."

I looked at her. "My dad told me that I'd be asked to do some very terrible things during the war, but that I had the choice in how I went about my missions. And how I chose to act, whether I took the easy path or the hard one, whether I painted the world red or covered myself in grime, was the difference between being a murderer and a soldier. So whenever I had the choice, I chose to dirty myself rather than swim in blood. Though that isn't to say I always had a choice. I just... kept holding onto his words."

She looked away. "He's not around anymore, is he?" 

"The base he was at was bombed, and rather than evacuate, he stayed to dig his aides out of the rubble. The shrapnel from another explosion was more than he could handle. He died at the field hospital on the base I was stationed at." I blinked a few times, feeling the tears, but refusing to let them fall.

Undyne sipped her tea, silently.

"So what's Papyrus' super secret, one-on-one training?"

Undyne put her tea down with a sigh. "He wants to be in the Royal Guard. I've tried to discourage him. He's too sweet. There's no strength there."

I snorted. "Papyrus doesn't need training."

"He's a cinnamon roll."

I looked her dead in the eyes. "Agreed. That said, you can't beat me, but if Papyrus so chose, at this moment, I'd be dead." I put my cup down. "He humors you by being what you expect, the same way you humor him."

"He couldn't even capture you!"

"He wasn't even trying. He was testing me."

Undyne considered that. "Am I really so off base? What about that lazy brother of his?"

"Bones is equally dangerous."

"Bones?!" Undyne snorted. "I am so calling him that from now on!"

A thought occurred to me. "Hey."

Undyne cocked her head to the side, long red hair spilling over one shoulder. "Yeah?"

"Do they ever talk at the same time--"

"And sound like a completely different, third person?" Undyne nodded. "Yeah. It's not so bad as it used to be."

I blinked. "That's a thing?"

Undyne stood, grabbing the kettle from the stove to pour more tea for us both. "Papyrus told me once that the voice belonged to a man who suffered a bad accident and it split him into two people: Sans and Papyrus. When I met them, they were still working on trying to do something that would make them one whole person again. Then, suddenly, Papyrus stopped working on it. He started doing things separate from Sans and asked to join the Royal Guard. Since then, they've been less and less the same person, pursuing different interests."

"Bones and the guitar collection."

Undyne nodded. "Papyrus and his models."

The spiders crawled out from under my sweater to sit on my head, looking around.

Large, yellow eyes blinked at me. "You've been carrying them with you?"

"They couldn't leave Old Home through the snow in Snowdin. I'm taking them to their relatives."

Her mouth fell open in undisguised horror. "I could have killed them going after you! Why didn't you say anything?!"

"Would you have listened?"

She grumbled, looking away. "No."

Speaking of grumbling, my stomach groaned loudly. I was seriously ready for dinner.

Undyne laughed and stood. "I'll make us something to eat. I've got spaghetti."

I stood and followed her over to the counters. "I'll help."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight  
('Bones' is our narrator!)

Alphys paced around, practically hopping, while we waited for Frisk. The camera on Dyne's place had showed them making food together, laughing about something as they turned tomatoes and pasta into dinner. After eating and cleaning up, Frisk had gone back to the ferry, and was on her way here. 

I relaxed in a chair, hands behind my skull and boots up on a desk. "Settle down, Alph."

"It's a HUMAN, Sans! A real, live HUMAN! I've never seen a real one before!"

I chuckled. "What about all those videos you've gathered from the dump?"

"It's not the same thing! This is a real specimen!"

I shrugged. "Don't experiment on her too hard."

Alphys' scaly head bobbed from side to side. "I won't have time for that. Not with Mettaton going all weird on me."

I raised a brow bone. "What do you mean?"

"When I told him about the human, he started acting strange. Talking about saving humanity."

"From what exactly?"

Alphys throw up her clawed hands. "That's what I don't get! I don't know, and he won't explain." She frowned. "I think he might try to hurt her."

"That... won't go well for him."

"I know. That's why I'm worried!" Alphys scaly head bobbed from side to side. "Ooooohhh!!!"

"Maybe he's just looking to boost his ratings."

Alphys snorted. "He's the only thing on TV! I don't see why ratings even matter!"

The front door opened and my favorite dinosaur squeaked. 

"She's here!"

I chuckled, relaxing even as Alphys spun around. Frisk stopped next to the desk. She glanced at me, before offering Alphys a patient smile.

"Oh My GOD! You're here! I didn't expect you so soon! I haven't showered, I'm barely dressed, and everything's a mess... and... and..."

"You were the person who called me to order the cat-girl pizza."

Alphys' was suddenly mortified. "OH... MY... GOD... I knew I dialed the wrong number!!!"

I took the pressure off. "Frisk, this is Dr. Alphys. Alphys, this is Frisk."

"Hello."

Alphys eyes went as wide as saucers for a moment before she started sweating nervously. "Hi-ya! I'm Alphys! Asgore's Royal Scientist! But I'm not one of the 'bad guys.'"

I snorted.

She swung around and stamped her foot, the claws tapping the tile. "I am NOT!" Alphys turned back to Frisk. "Ever since you left the Ruins, I've been observing you through my console!"

"So you're the person on the other end of the cameras. Does Undyne know you have her house under surveillance?" Frisk asked.

"Undyne encouraged it," I offered.

Frisk regarded Alphys for a moment. "Are you fond of soda?"

I cackled. "She's missing teeth from drinking so much!"

I AM NOT!" Alphys cried.

"Stop being a jerk, Bones."

"Bones?" Alphys looked from Frisk to me. "Oh My GOD!" She pointed. "I'm TOTALLY calling you that from now on! It'll be short for 'Lazy Bones!'"

She turned back to Frisk, much more confident in herself. "Okay. Okay. I was going to stop you. You are the seventh soul we need after all. But watching your journey has been incredible!" She smiled. "It's really hard not to root for you. So, uh, I'd like to help!" She sighed. "I'm not sure how though..."

Frisk pulled out her phone. "Do you have a wireless charger for phones? I could really use it right now."

"Oh yeah!" Alphys took the phone. "Wow! This is a military grade, satellite phone!" She frowned, confused. "But, weren't you discharged?"

"The Project I was a member of comes with certain perks if you survive."

Alphys and I both frowned at that, the implication sinking in fast. Alph took a deep breath. "Now that Undyne won't be chasing you all over the Underground, getting to New Home won't be too much of an issue." She pursed her lips. "I'm sure you noticed that most people around here have no idea what a human looks like. You're literally the only real human I've ever seen!"

"'Real Human?'"

"Uh..." Alphys tittered nervously.

"Alphys watches a LOT of anime," I added.

Frisk rolled her eyes at me. "I'm sure you watch it with her."

Alphys smiled at the burn. "Ha ha!" There was a banging on the wall and Alphys eyes went wide. "Oh no."

Frisk stepped away from the wall. "Oh no?"

A massive, box shaped robot smashed through the wall. "OHHHH YES!!!"

I yawned. "Hey, Mettaton."

"WELCOME BEAUTIES!" Dramatic pause. "TO TODAY'S QUIZ SHOW!"

Confetti fell from the ceiling as Alphys facepalmed. "Mettaton..."

Several camera crew monsters came in, surrounding the Tin Can. Frisk looked at me as C burst to life on her shoulder, wanting an actual look at what was happening. Or maybe I was assuming that was the case? Anyway, I gave her a shrug. It was Mettaton, he was going to make good on the meager ratings boost a human in the Underground would get from monster kind.

"OH BOY! I CAN ALREADY TELL THIS IS GOING TO BE A GREAT SHOW! EVERYONE GIVE A BIG HAND FOR OUR CONTESTANT!"

A spot light lit up Frisk and she lifted an arm to shield her eyes.

"NEVER PLAYED BEFORE, GORGEOUS? NO PROBLEM! IT'S SIMPLE! THERE'S ONLY ONE RULE! ANSWER CORRECTLY..." Dramatic pause. "OR YOU DIE!"

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" C groaned.

Mettaton rolled over to Frisk and put a robotic arm around her. "Let's start with an easy one. What's the prize for answering correctly?"

The 'mask' cracked and she smiled, putting her arm around his back, fingers brushing the switch found there. "More questions."

"CORRECT!"

Frisk giggled. Legit giggled. Holy shit.

"Here's your prize: What's the King's full name?"

"Asgore Dreemurr."

Mettaton applauded. "Fantastic! What are robots made of?"

Frisk pursed her lips, expecting a trick question. Alphys quickly scribbled the answer on a piece of paper and held it up from an angle the Tin Can couldn't see it from. Frisk read it aloud. "Metal and Magic."

"Too easy for you, huh? Let's play a memory game! What monster is this?"

An image of half a froggit's face was projected on the wall.

Frisk snorted. "You. Mettaton."

The image pulled back to reveal a picture of Mettaton wearing a shirt with a froggit on it.

"I'm so flattered you remembered!!! But will you get the next one?" Dramatic pause. "Would you smooch a ghost?"

Frisk looked up at MTT with a big smile. "Heck Yeah!"

The music, lights, and confetti all stopped. Mettaton pulled out a phone, quickly dialing as he turned away to whisper into it. "Blooky! I found you a date!" 

Frisk tapped him on the side of his metal chassis. "If that's Napstablook, we've already spent some time together."

MTT turned to her. "Well then... LET'S CONTINUE WITH THE SHOW!" His arm slipped around her shoulders again. "In the dating simulation 'Mew Mew Kissy Cutie,' what's Mew Mew's favorite food?"

Alphys suddenly started waving her hands in the air, excitedly. "I know this one! I know this one! It's snail ice cream!!!!! In the fourth chapter, everyone goes to the beach and she buys ice cream for all of her friends, but it's snail flavored and she's the only one who wants it!!! It's one of my favorite parts of the game because it's actually a very powerful... message... about... friendship..."

Mettaton waved a metallic finger at her. "ALPHYS, ALPHYS, ALPHYS. You aren't helping our contestant are you?"

Alphys held up both hands nervously, shaking her head. 

"Well then, let's ask a question you'll be sure to know the answer too: Who does Dr. Alphys have a crush on?"

Alphys gasped and shook her head, waving her hands in front of her nervously. Frisk took a look around and spotted something that made her snort. "Undyne."

"SEE, ALPHYS? I TOLD YOU IT WAS OBVIOUS!!! Even the HUMAN figured it out!"

My favorite dino covered her face with her hands, face entirely red with embarrassment. 

"Yes! She scrawls Undyne's name in the margins of her notes and names programming variables after her! She even writes stories of them together, sharing a domestic life! Probability of crush, 101%. Margin of error, 1%." He rolled over to Alphys and put an arm around her. "Well, with Dr. Alphys giving you all the answers, this show has no tension and no drama! But this is only the pilot episode! Stay tuned folks for... MORE ROMANCE! MORE VIOLENCE! MORE BLOODSHED! Until next time, Darlings!"

MTT exited stage right and the camera crew ran after him. A janitor followed behind, sweeping up the confetti.

Alphys sighed. "Well. That happened." She smiled nervously. "I'm really very sorry! I created him as an entertainment robot, and he loves his shock factor."

Frisk shrugged like it didn't matter, a bit more at ease, even if her face returned to its resting expressionless manner. "The charger?"

"Oh Yeah!" Alphys cleared off her desk, finding the wireless charging pad. "It works on magic, so letting it sit here for a minute is more than enough." An idea occurred to her, lighting up her face. "Hey! Why don't I give you my phone number? That way I if you need help... maybe... you could call me?" 

Frisk nodded as she put the phone on the charging pad. "Sure."

"Really?!" 

"Yeah. Just don't be like Papyrus and forget to actually give me the number half way through a project."

"In all fairness," I began, "my brother does that a lot."

Frisk looked at me. "Do you find word searches hard while Papyrus flubs word jumbles?"

I narrowed my eye sockets at her. "Of course Undyne would spill, wouldn't she?"

Alphys pointed and laughed. "Ha ha! She's knows about you!"

I rolled my eye. "Hardly."

"Is the accident why you only have one eye?"

I put both feet down on the floor and leaned forward, resting my arms on my knees, hands clasped. "I've only ever had one visible eye. I can see out of both sockets though."

Frisk thought about that for a moment. "And is Papyrus' right eye socket permanently closed?"

I nodded. 

"Interesting."

Alphys handed her the phone. "Your phone's charged! I added myself to the contacts, and I also signed you up for Undernet. Now we're officially friends!" She suddenly looked embarrassed by the oh so obvious breach in etiquette. "I'm going to the bathroom!" She ran and hid in the elevator.

Frisk cocked her head to the side. "That's not a bathroom."

I shook my skull. "Nope." 

She looked around the lab, spotting the cameras before finding a spot and an angle from which she wouldn't be seen. And changed the password on her phone. While I didn't get a look at the actual pass, I did get a look at her phone's wallpaper: a line of surf boards leaning against a fence in the sun. I stood and stretched while she looked around.

"For such a large lab, this place is much smaller on the inside. Does the elevator go down to lower floors?"

I nodded. "It does. Just don't expect Alphys to ever let you down there." I cocked my skull toward the door. "Ready to move on?"

"Baby sitting me again?"

I hooked my distal phalanges in the loops of my jeans. "I said I'd keep an eye socket on you. Come on. New Home's a-waitin.'"

As soon as we stepped outside, Frisk's phone beeped and an Undernet notification of a status change from Alphys came up. "Just realized I didn't watch Undyne fight the human! Well, I know she's unbeatable, so I'll ask her about it later."

Frisk stared at the phone. "She should not ask Undyne about it."

"You did make her look like an amateur."

Frisk glared at me, the mask cracking a little. "Don't ever say that to her."

Fast friends, huh? I smiled. "Sure thing, Babe." I held out a boney hand and she took, let me steady her on the moving walkways that made up large portions of Hotland. We got to the northern door and it didn't open. I frowned.

"Problem?" Frisk asked.

"Yeah... This shouldn't be locked." I pulled out my phone and called Alphys. "Hey, Alph. The door to the northern corridor is locked."

"I know! I'm getting complaints in from all over Hotland! All the puzzles have activated and monsters are trapped all over!" I could hear her claws tapping furiously at her keyboard. "Since you're already going that way, if you could handle the puzzles on the way to MTT's resort, I'll take care of all the puzzles off the main corridor." She groaned harshly. "These systems are so OLD! And I have to do them all one by one! Ugh!!!" She growled. "Who turned them all on?!"

"Someone looking to stop the human," Frisk answered. "Are the puzzles that difficult?"

I shook my skull. "Not particularly. Just annoying." I pointed to the left. "There's a puzzle on each side of this door to open it. You take the left and I'll take the right. The instructions for operating the mechanism should be posted on the wall next to it."

She nodded and headed left while I went into the puzzle room on the right. It was a simple box shooter and moving everything into place was a snap. I returned to the door to find Frisk waiting for me, the door to the corridor already open. It was filled with monsters stuck trying to go to and from work, some having given up and sitting on the edges to hang or watch MTT TV on their phones.

I cupped my hands around my mouth. "What's the hold up?" 

"The lights ahead are completely out! No one can see to get through!" someone on the far end answered.

I looked at Frisk and she shrugged. She called over the crowd, "Everyone move over a little to let us through! We'll get the lights back on!"

A path was made and we headed right up the middle and onto a tiled area. I stopped Frisk and pointed at our feet. "The tile is new."

She raised an eyebrow. "It is?" She turned to the nearest monster. "When was the tile installed?"

A big lion monster shrugged. "It's new to me and I mean really new. It wasn't here when I left for home last night."

We both frowned and stepped onto the tile. Summoning a glowing bone to give us some light, we stepped into the pitch black darkness. Frisk took my hand, fingers curling around my phalanges. Even by the glow of the bone, it was too dark for her, and she was trusting me to guide her.

"How about a bit more light?"

She nodded, eyes shut against the black. I summoned more bones and let them spread out in a ring to illuminate what appeared to be a kitchen. Frisk opened her eyes, blinking as she stepped forward. She let go of my hand and walked into the room. A barrier of electricity separated us as the lights came on full blast.

"Oh no," I muttered.

"OH YES!" Mettaton sang as he rose from a trap door in the floor. "Welcome, Beauties, to the Underground's Premier Cooking Show!"

A flashing neon sign descended from the scaffolding overhead read: Cooking With A Killer Robot.

"Preheat your ovens, because we've got a very special recipe for you today! We're going to be making a cake! My lovely assistant here will gather the ingredients. Everyone give them a big hand!!!"

A studio audience applauded loudly, and Frisk gave them a bow earning a few appreciative hoots. Playing along, she gathered the eggs, milk, and sugar.

"Perfect! Great job, Beautiful! We've got all of the ingredients we need to bake the cake!"

Frisk cocked her head to the side. "Really? Because unless you're just making custard, we need way more than these three things."

"OH MY! You are correct! We are missing ingredients! Including the most important ingredient!" MTT pulled a chain saw out of his chassis. "A HUMAN SOUL!"

Frisk crossed her arms over her chest, not the least bit intimidated. "A Human Soul? Really? Come on! I'm sure there are vegetarians in the audience and I'm sure a few people might have an allergy, and that's totally not an ingredient they can ingest." She wagged a finger at him. "And let's be completely serious. How many human souls are wandering around in the Underground? It's not like you find them in the super market. You're asking your audience to gather an ingredient they can't possibly get easily. You need to make a substitution."

The Tin Can froze and returned the chainsaw to the space in his chassis. "That's a brilliant idea! And I have just the substitution: MTT-Brand Human Soul flavoring! A can of it is sitting right over there! Would you grab it, Darling?"

Frisk walked over to the counter and it suddenly shot into the air on a line of cabinets. Frisk stared up at the can, resting at the very top of an insanely high tower of kitchen carpentry.

"By the way, Darling, our show runs on a strict schedule. If you can't get the can in the next minute... We'll just have to go back to the ORIGINAL PLAN!!! So you better start climbing, Beautiful!!!"

C burst to life on her shoulder. "Are you really going to do this?"

Frisk nodded. "Just this once."

The hologram teen smiled. "I do believe you're having fun."

Frisk shrugged, letting her backpack slide from her shoulders to the floor, the spiders getting off to sit with it. "Well, this is the most creative way anyone's ever tried to kill me. It's not Bond Villain level yet, but it's getting there." 

She grabbed a hold of the cabinets and started climbing, fast. Faster than I thought she could to it and way faster than MTT had accounted for. He flew up after her throwing eggs, sugar, and milk at her. She made it to the top and sat on it, holding the can in one hand, with milk, egg, and sugar dripping off of her. The audience went wild.

"Well, well... It seems you've bested me."

She shrugged at the Tin Can, giving him a rather satisfied smile. 

"But about the substitution... Haven't you ever seen a cooking show before? I already baked the cake ahead of time! So forget it!!!" He flew off and the electrical barrier keeping us separated fell. The studio audience applauded loudly before dispersing and a set crew came through to dismantle the kitchen. 

Frisk looked down at me from the top of the cabinets. "You wouldn't be able to give me a hand down, would you?"

"I can handle that." I snapped my phalanges, turning her soul blue, and gently floating her back down to ground level. "You could use a shower and a change of clothing."

She sighed and nodded. After picking up her pack, now covered with spiders, she walked along as I headed for the elevator. "Anywhere nearby that can happen?"

I stopped on the path, eyes glued to the view of the Core from where we stood.

Frisk put a hand on my arm. "Hey, you all right?"

I sighed. "Yeah. Come on. MTT's resort isn't that far away." 

She pointed at the ominous building sitting in a lake of magma. "What's that?"

"The Core. When Paps and I were one person, he built it. It turns geothermal energy into magical electricity."

Frisk nodded appreciatively. "Nice." Her smile fell, the 'mask' sliding back into place. "Is that where the accident happened?"

I remained silent as I walked over to the elevator and pressed the button. I wasn't sure which bothered me more. That I was so near the Core or that the Tin Can was able to get her to drop the guarded facade without really trying. We rode the elevator up to the next level and I spotted one of my sentry posts just ahead.

I poked Frisk in the arm. "You look like you could use a snack. How about you guys?" I asked the spiders and they all waved legs at me. I stepped into the post. "Wanna buy a hot dog? It's only 30G."

Frisk sighed, eyes closed, and likely groaning internally. "Is this one of your jobs?"

"Gotta make a living."

"All right." She fished out the money and handed it to me.

"Thanks, Babe. Here's your 'dog. Yeah. 'dog. Apostrophe-dog. Short for hot dog."

She snorted and set her pack down to hand the hot dog to the spiders. As they divided up the 'dog, Frisk looked back to me. "All have one too."

I shrugged, giving her a sly smile. "Sorry, Babe. I'm all out of hot dogs. Here, you can have a hot cat instead." I handed her a hot dog with tiny paper cat ears and paper whiskers on one end.

The mask cracked and she groaned out loud. "Oh come on!" 

"What? You want another hot dog? You must really like hot animals." 

She laughed at that one, covering her mouth with her hand. 

I held up both hands. "Hey! I'm not judging. I'd be out of job without folks like you.

Frisk covered her face as she laughed.

"You're running out of room to hold things. I guess I'll put this one on your head."

A little blue magic had the hot dog resting on the top of her head.

"Hey!"

I shrugged. "Well. If you're into that." I put another hot dog on top of the first.

Frisk sighed. "As if I wasn't covered in enough food..."

"Oh. You want more? I got ya covered, Babe!" As I got to the 20th 'dog, she shook her head, causing them to crash to the ground. 

C sat on her shoulder, watching the exchange with some amusement. "We're stuck with this dork, aren't we?"

"Yeah...." Frisk sighed, a real smile on her face. "Can we move along? I'm really not liking the sour milk smell that's beginning to develop."

I shrugged. "Sure." 

She lifted her bag and we headed down the upper corridor and into another mass of monsters. Two royal guards blocked the way. 

"What's going on?" Frisk called.

"Black out on the bridge," a monster answered. 

I frowned. It didn't look like the royal guardsmen would move for us. Time for a short cut. I put my arm around Frisk's waist and stepped sideways before she could step away. I landed us further along the path and yeah, the lights on the area ahead had gone completely out.

"How much do you want to bet it's Mettaton again?" Frisk asked.

"I'm not taking that bet."

"Well. Let's see how he's going to try to kill me this time." She stepped forward into the dark and the lights suddenly snapped on, revealing MTT behind a news anchor's desk, and a camera crew already rolling.

"There's breaking news in Hotland today! A series of power outages and puzzle activations have swept the area, leaving monsters stranded in many areas. Hotland's school has even cancelled for the day as mechanical crews, Dr. Alphys, and a few good hearted boss monsters work to solve puzzles and restore power. We go live to our brave correspondent, who is on scene in Hotland. Tell us what you've found! Ten loyal viewers are waiting at home!"

Frisk crossed her arms over her chest. "You'd have a lot more viewers right now if they weren't stuck in Hotland."

"Indeed!"

"So why don't you reverse whatever you did to get them stuck?"

I'm not sure how, but MTT looked nervous. "You're supposed to be reporting on something in Hotland right now!"

Frisk's expression turned dead serious. "Ladies and Gentlemonsters, I'm live in Hotland to give you the latest news on this disaster of epic proportions. I have information that reveals the identity of the monster behind the power outages and puzzle activation. And it's none other than--

"I'm sorry, folks! It seems we're experiencing some technical difficulties!" 

The camera crew scrambled to clean up and run as MTT turned from the desk and pointed at Frisk.

"See you next time, Darling." He and the crew exited stage right.

The spiders crawled all over Frisk, hopping excitedly. 

"Are we almost there?" she asked, smiling. "Then let's hurry, huh?" 

I followed her to the next elevator and the next level. After deactivating another puzzle, we made it to the door of Muffet's bakery. The spiders squealed, dropping off of Frisk and running to Muffet.

"My Dearies! How did you get out of the Ruins?" She looked up at us, blinking all five of her eyes. "Oh! I see! Thank you for carrying my family all the way from Old Home, Dearie!"

Frisk nodded. "It was no trouble at all." She made her goodbyes to the spiders and we continued out of the bakery.

I pointed to the glowing lights. "The resort's just ahead."

"Thank goodness. I really need that shower." Frisk stepped ahead of me and another electrical barrier sprung up between us.

The Tin Can, in a dress no less, danced forward on his single wheel. "Oh! The Human! Could it be my one true love?"

C stared at MTT. "Have we hit Bond villain level yet?"

Frisk shook her head. "Not yet."

MTT began to sing. "Oh my love! Please run away! Monster King, forbids your stay! Humans must live far apart! Even if, it breaks my heart!" Cherry blossom petals began to rain from the sky. "They'll put you in the dungeon! It'll suck and then you'll die a lot! Really sad. You're gonna die. Cry, cry cry! So sad it's happening." 

The floor opened underneath Frisk and she dropped down into trap door. 

"Fuck!" I teleported right underneath her and caught her before she hit the floor. I put her down. "You okay, Babe?"

She nodded. "Thanks for save."

MTT floated above us. "Oh No! What ever shall I do? My love has been cast away into the dungeon! A dungeon with a puzzle so dastardly, my paramour will surely perish! Oh heavens have mercy! A horrible colored tile maze!"

Frisk looked at it. "Is that the same maze that--?"

I hooked my hands in the pockets of my jeans. "Yept."

"I never actually let your brother explain the puzzle to me."

"Nope."

"Huh." She stepped close to me. "Short cut to the resort?"

I put an arm around her and chuckled a little as the Tin Can screamed in frustration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone commenting! If you like what you're reading, please let me know!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine  
(Frisk is our narrator!)

The resort was tall, brightly lit, and posh. Which I assume matched the ego of it's creator. The water streaming from the large fountain with a statue of Mettaton in the lobby, missed it's collecting pool by quite a bit, leaving water to pool on the floor. The monster with a head that appeared to be a huge, blue hand offered a special rate for a room seeing as how the elevator from the resort directly into New Home was completely out of order, and trapping several people in the lobby.

Bones chatted up the monster at the desk for a few minutes, getting us a room just long enough for me to get a shower. A deal that sparked a lot of interest in the stranded New Home citizens who came over with lots of money to do the same. Left without a choice for it, I let Bones take my clothes to be cleaned while I showered. I got out of the water to find the sweater and jeans clean, and a bit warm, sitting next to my towel. It was weird to use a hotel towel that wasn't scratchy.

I stopped for a moment to stare at myself in the fog of the slowly clearing mirror. Like this, I couldn't make out any of the scars from the past few years. I was just a normal woman.

C's hologram appeared on my shoulder. "Something bothering you?"

"No. Just thinking."

C sat down on my shoulder. "Well, you do look tired. Sure you don't want to call it a night?"

I shook my head and frowned at the lack of my braid. "This isn't even close to tired for me."

"What's the longest you've ever stayed up?"

I thought about that. "Four days. I was on recon and the timing for when the target would arrive was off. When I was finally able to sleep again, I didn't wake in time for evac."

"Obviously you got out."

I nodded. "Riley stayed behind and we ended up with another mission since we were already on the ground for it."

C cocked his head to the side. "So... Nothing about being trapped Underground with tons of crazy monsters?" He frowned. "Was the past so awful that this is just, I don't know, tame?"

I sighed. "Yeah."

There was a knock at the door. "Hey, Babe. You okay?"

I pulled the sweater over my head. "Yeah. I'll be out in a sec."

"You really don't mind him calling you 'Babe,' huh?"

"It's his way of marking affection."

C blinked. "Come again?"

"He calls his brother 'Paps,' Alphys 'Alph,' and Undyne 'Dyne.' He probably has other nicknames for them as well, though only ones he'll use privately with them." I shrugged and pulled on the jeans, noticing that they weren't as tight as before. "Some people do that."

"I get that. He was just really quick to do it to you. And by quick, I mean that in a monster's sense of time. Asriel is old and he only bonded with the original me as quickly as he had because he was still a child. If my original had fallen yesterday, he wouldn't think of me as a brother until long after I had already passed away from old age. Bones nicknamed you almost immediately and that's weird. And he looks at you like he's waiting for something."

"I'd noticed that." I looked to the door. "But whatever he's waiting for, he's not frightened by it. He's anxious for it to pass. As if, on the other side was an indescribable happiness. And whatever that thing is, it doesn't involve the barrier."

I looked at the fit of the jeans in the clearing mirror. They'd been stretched a little to make them more comfortable. Shelving that bit of information for later, I opened the door, letting a puff of steam out with me.

Bones gave me a rather amused smirk. "Ready?"

I gave him a nod and we headed back to the lobby. After checking out, I noticed one of the glowing star crystals near the fountain. I touched it, feeling that same refreshing wave pass over me and renewed determination to get back to mom. We went through the doors that lead to the Core. There was a lovely tree covered patio off the back with picnic tables and chairs surrounded by glowing orb lamps, providing a beautiful place to just relax. Several monsters lounged there, enjoying the sound of the magma flow far underneath them. A walkway led up into the Core itself.

And Bones... Bones looked nervous, but also didn't look as if he was going to turn back either.

My phone rang and I picked up Alphys call. "Hey! Listen guys, there's something weird going on in the Core."

"Mettaton weird?" Bones asked.

I could see Alphys shaking her scaly head. "No. Like monsters who aren't supposed to be there. I'm picking up all kinds of weirdness on the security cameras and not the kind you get with the elevator from the resort being out. The puzzles here were activated and it switched parts of the interior layout around." Alphys huffed. "Seriously, Bones! What was your predecessor thinking?!"

He frowned and tapped his foot, like he'd explained this a million times before. "That if someone really wanted to, they could overload the Core's main generators, causing a massive explosion that would take the top off the mountain, rain dirt, ash, and lava in a 20 mile radius, and kill all monsters. That's why only the Royal Scientist and the King know how to align the interior to get to them. And since they are in a state of perpetual self maintenance you don't need to touch them." He pointed at himself. "Look at Paps and I. Aren't we reason numero uno to just leave it alone? It's not like the elevator can't get you to any other place in the Core you want to go."

Alphys groaned. "Fine. Just be careful, okay?"

"Got it." I ended the call and tucked my phone back in my pack.

Bones followed me into the Core and walked ahead of me to hit the button for the elevator. The button didn't light up and the display above the door listed an error. He frowned, his whole body tense.

"That's bad isn't it?"

He sighed. "Depending on how the interior has been aligned, we might be forced to go down before we go up."

"What's wrong with that?"

Silence.

"Spill, Bones."

His shoulders dropped and he looked away. "The closer Paps or I get to the place the accident happened, the more we become infused with his our predecessor's lingering essence." He held out his boney hand in front of him and a white, upside down heart appeared. A piece of it if seemed to be sectioned off. "This part is the piece of me that's still him and it will consume me the closer we get to the basement."

I leaned in to look closer, but didn't touch. I had a feeling that doing so would be considered a very intimate act. "What are you leaving out?"

He looked taken aback. He'd been hoping I wouldn't notice he was hiding something. "Once I'm him, I'm reluctant to leave my work. The few times it's happened to Paps or I, Alphys has had to trick us into leaving."

I frowned deeply, eyes narrowed, and turned from him.

C's voice wrapped around my inner ear. "Woah. That's really cold."

I didn't care. It was one thing to be embarrassed, but to try to hide something that important? No. I wasn't going to have that. Crestfallen didn't even come close to describing how he looked as he walked past me, his soul disappearing back to where ever it rested in his body.

"Follow me this way."

We walked into a corridor on the left, walking past monsters working to fix the elevator. In the next room, we found a junction and headed the the left, only to run into a huge, armor clad monster with a face on his chest. He swung the mace in his hand, and Bones and I both ducked. And ducked again when it came back the other way. Bones grabbed a hold of one arm, pulling me behind him, and started singing.

His unearthly voice caught the monster's attention and the eyes in chest plate began to droop, his attacks slowing. Soon the eyes closed and the monster fell completely asleep. Grabbing my hand, Bones tip toed by the monster and pulled me into the next room. He used his elbow to hit the door release, shutting it behind us.

I looked him up and down. "You're rattled."

Bones turned to the wall, and removed a hidden panel to reveal a glowing map. "It's not everyday a monster is willing to go toe to toe with a boss monster. And by not every day, I mean never." He ran a boney finger along several glowing points, mapping a route. "Whoever did this moved all the upper floors so that the corridors aligned in a circle, essentially trapping anyone in the building."

"Can you teleport us forward?"

He shook his head. "When I take my short cuts, I'm using a kind of magic that would interact with the energy in the Core." He placed a finger on stairwell that appeared disconnected from the rest of the building. "This is the emergency egress and goes right up to New Home." He frowned. "To get to it, we'll have to go down to the lab..."

"And that's were you become someone else?"

Bones sighed. "We can exit this room to the right and go for the stairs here." He pointed to the map. "This is my old office and the lab is right next to it. Once we're down in the office, go directly through this door, through the lab, and up the back stairs. Don't wait for me, try to converse with me, or attempt to get me to leave. When you get to the top, call Alphys, and let her know I'm still down there. She'll get me out after the issues with Hotland and the Core are fixed."

I nodded and frowned. An awful thought occurred to me and I gave him the chance to make up for his earlier reticence. "Why shouldn't I attempt to draw you out?"

"When Paps or I come back from being in the Core, we don't remember anything. I won't know what I said or anything that I did while I was down there. Alphys said that I usually just pick up where ever I left off with the last experiment." He took a deep breath. "And that's the issue. I don't know how I'll react to a human being in my lab. It's best to simply make a run for it."

"All right. Should I wait to go on until Alphys retrieves you?"

He brightened at the question and shook his head. "That's up to you. Considering it'll be a while, it makes more sense to head on without me. You licked Undyne pretty good, so I'm not all that worried about you taking on Asgore." He lifted the panel and replaced it, hiding the map. "Ready?"

I motioned for him to lead the way and went out the door to the right. A monster with a a body like a large eye waited for us. When the eye shut, it appeared to be smiling. It threw multiple rings at us, bouncing them off the floors and walls. It giggled as we dodged for a spot that would keep us out of the barrage. I grabbed one of the rings out of the air, ignoring how it burned a little, and whipped it at the monster. It squeaked and made a run for it as I threw another.

Only for a froggit that looked to be covered in spikes to take it's place. It jumped at me, looking to knock me flat, only to have Bones step in front of me, and back hand it. It hit the floor and shuddered, cowering away from us as we went into the stairwell. Once inside, Bones stopped to inspect my hand. Satisfied that it was fine, we continued to the basement. We stepped off the stairs into a large and long hallway lined with multiple doors. Bones slowed down, letting me walk ahead.

I looked back at him. "What's the hold up?"

He smiled, but he appeared to be having a hard time of it. "Giving you a head start." He pointed. "Next door on your left."

I opened the door and found an office with a large, wooden desk, two sets of filing cabinets, and a closet door hanging slightly open. Inside, I could see the sleeve of a lab coat peeking out. I looked back to Bones. His eyes were heavy lidded, his breathing a little labored.

He nodded to me. "I'm all right. Go on in and through. I can't fight the change off for very long. Hurry up before you end up my favorite test subject."

I went inside and walked directly to the only other door besides the closet. Opening the door revealed a large lab area. An open doorway on the left revealed a small apartment. Apparently, he'd literally lived at work in his past incarnation. I looked to the right. The lab itself was massive, making for a very wide and very long corridor. Tables, cabinets, and counter tops filled a meticulously clean room. Well, if you ignored the accumulated dust, it was clean.

I heard the door to the office behind me open and that third voice filled the air. "What a bother. How long have I been gone this time?"

Turning, I made a dash through the lab, looking for the door to the stairwell and not seeing it. Where was it? I got to the end of the room and found a pile of shipping boxes in front of several storage shelves, but no door.

C's voice wrapped around my inner ear, but it sounded off, tired. "I don't see a door anywhere."

"Is there wifi down here? Can you access it and see if you can find a map?"

"And just what would you need a map of, mademoiselle?"

I shivered. Bones' voice was unearthly, but some part of it was a bit grounded. This voice was entirely ghostly, almost alien. I turned and looked up. Bones was already taller than me by quiet a bit, but now, with his posture held straight, I felt small.

"A human? How on earth did you get into the Underground?" His eye sockets narrowed slightly. "Or did you follow me down here?"

I blinked. "You know you aren't you when you leave the Core."

He nodded once. "I deduced a while ago that I became a completely different person when I left, and that he decided when or if I came back. I've long come to the understanding that my other self avoids being me. It would have been fascinating to study had it been someone else's condition. But I find it rather annoying." He smiled, a genuine smile and not the smirk that often graced Bone's... lips? The front of his skull seemed malleable at least. "So, you know 'me' when I'm not here."

"Yes." This wasn't right. "Why aren't you attempting to capture me?"

He frowned. "Why on earth would I do that? I'm sure the King and Queen would extend the same hospitality to you as they did to their adopted son, Prince Chara."

"Prince Chara-"

"Would be a young man by now. Though I'm not sure that someone with so much LOVE would be a suitable companion. Or is that why you think I would capture you? Is that what the other me was doing when you ended up down here?"

I frowned, not knowing where to start. "You're trying to get me to New Home. The upper levels of the Core have been completely rearranged making a the corridors an endless loop. We were forced to come down here in order to use the stairs from the lab that led up to New Home."

He raised a brow bone in disbelief. "Is that so?" He walked over to a counter and pushed a tile on the wall. A portion of the wall above the tile slid away to reveal a computer screen. He tapped it and a map of the Core appeared. Using a boney finger, he adjusted the display to look at the upper levels. "Well now. Any idea why my greatest invention would be used in such a manner?"

"Someone's trying to kill me."

Bones turned back to me. "Heavens! Why on earth would any monster wish to do that?"

"Because Chara isn't a young man. He died hundreds of years ago. From what Asriel told me, his mother absorbed Chara's soul so she could bury his body on the surface. She was attacked on the way back to the barrier and died on the throne room floor. After that, Asgore declared war on humans and I'm the seventh to fall down since then. Everyone's looking to kill me."

There was that disbelief again. "Everyone? I wouldn't count on that. If that were the case, why haven't I simply teleported you to New Home? Or turned you over to the royal guard?"

I shook my head. "You want something from me. Or, at least, you're waiting for me to do something."

He tapped the front of his jaw with one boney finger. "Hmm. It seems we both lack quite a bit of information. I was unaware that so much time had passed." He folded his arms over his chest. "Why are monsters looking to kill you?"

"To open the barrier."

He shook his head. "Opening the barrier does not require the death of seven humans. It merely requires that they wish to open the barrier."

My jaw dropped. "What?"

He unfolded his arms and clasped his hands behind his back, right eye shutting completely as his voice took on the tone of a teacher. "Indeed, killing a human and collecting their soul would be a monumental mistake. A human soul doesn't just persist after death, it also maintains its personality and memories. I highly doubt that any of the collected souls would be willing to open the barrier for monsters after having died by their hands."

"Oh no." I covered my eyes with one hand. "This makes the situation so much worse."

He turned to me. "Knowing this, what will you do?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. I..." How was I going to get to mom now?

He reached out, one hand sliding along my cheek to just barely brush the blue lines of C's implant under my skin. I didn't flinch or pull away. "Fascinating. Such a large amount of LOVE and yet, I feel that the number I see is suppressed. Would this strange implant be how?"

C burst to life on my shoulder. "Don't touch my implants."

He pulled his hand back. "My apologies." He leaned over to get a better look. "Well, this would be the young Prince. Or rather, a facsimile."

C crossed his arms over his chest. "I am C, an artificial intelligence based on the memories of Prince Chara Dreemurr. And I'm the one suppressing her LOVE." He looked to me for a moment. "Though to be fair, I probably don't need too."

I gave him a smile.

He reached out, the hologram looking for all the world like it was touching my face when really it wasn't there at all. "Hey. We'll figure a way out of here. Promise. Let's figure out how to get to New Home first though."

I nodded.

"I will take you to New Home, but in exchange, I would like you to return here with me at a future date."

"For...?"

"Ah. Yes. Well, I wasn't aware that it had been so very long since my last memory and it would be helpful to be 'caught up' as it were." He smiled. "I would also be much obliged to learn more about you and your AI partner."

I frowned. "I'm not going to let you poke around the implant."

"You misunderstand. I'm hoping for an interview, not a physical. Biomedical engineering is not my field. I am merely curious. Will you agree to this?" He held out a hand to shake.

I took it, wrapping my fingers around the bones. My fingertips brushed the edges of the holes in his hand as we shook. "Agreed."

"Excellent." He looked up. "The stairway to New Home has not been used in a very long time. To keep people from using it improperly, it will only appear in the event of an emergency." He waved his hand and the door appeared to my left. "There we are."

He opened the door and held it for me with a soft smile. It was easy to tell where Papyrus received his gentlemanly side from. I stepped through and waited for Bones to follow. He led me up the stairs and with each step, the ramrod straight posture eased. Each step was less... professional? The scientist from the lab was sloughing off and the greaser returning. When we got to the top of the stairs, Bones turned to me and sat on the top most stair, looking around in confusion.

"How did I get here?"

I shrugged. "You decided to lead me up to New Home."

He frowned at me. "I told you not to wait for me."

I shook my head. "I didn't. You caught me."

He sunk in on himself, mortified. "I didn't do anything-"

"You didn't attempt to harm me or do anything embarrassing." I gave him a patient smile. "You actually gave me some really important information. Come on. New Home awaits and I need to tell you what I learned downstairs." I stepped past him, opening a door that let out into an alley. Pain blossomed in my chest where the bullet of a monster's attack struck me dead center over my heart. I crashed to my knees, getting hit twice more on either side of my chest. Bones caught me before I hit the ground, blood filling my mouth. For a moment, I could feel him cradling me.

And everything went black.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten  
(Bones is our narrator!)

"NO!" I held onto Frisk, watching as her soul shattered. And the world went black. 

Somewhere in that inky darkness I could hear a voice. It was Asgore. "Our fate rests upon you... Stay Determined!"

A brilliant flash of light dazzled my vision and I was suddenly standing in the lobby of the MTT Resort. Frisk stood next to the fountain and glowing crystal star, hugging herself. I put my arms around her and she shook her head, pulling away from me. She stood there, hugging herself, eyes squeezed shut.

C burst to life on her shoulder. "What happened? Frisk...?"

"She died."

C shook his head. "Impossible."

"Not impossible. I saw her soul shatter." I looked at my phone. "We've gone back in time to the moment she touched the crystal." Shoving my phone back in my pocket, I reached out, putting an arm around her again. "I don't know what happened, but we won't figure it out standing here. Come on."

Frisk pushed me away. "No! You don't understand! Those weren't civilians or guards playing at war. Those were assassins! I can't... I can't ignore my training and simply defend myself. If this keeps up, I'm going to kill one of them, even if I don't intend too!"

Okay. I wasn't entirely prepared for her to be upset about that. I glanced at C and hologram was shaking his head. She was lying. That made way more sense. "You're tired and it's late. Come on. I'll get you a room for the night here in the resort." 

She shook her head, voice vehement. "No. I don't feel safe."

I frowned. "You need sleep." I thought about it for a moment. "I'll take you back to my place."

"No. I don't trust you."

I stiffened and then sighed. "Where do you want to go?"

"Old Home." Frisk stumbled toward the lobby doors. 

I caught up to her and helped her walk to the Hotland elevator. She leaned against wall of the elevator car hugging herself, eyes shut, knees weak. I put an arm around her to get her to the ferry, only to have her push away again as she stepped on the boat. As the boat took off, she let me put an arm around her, leaning into me to steady herself. Once we hit Snowdin, I took her bag and carried it for her. Halfway along the path to the Ruins, her eyes drooped and her feet slowed despite her determination to get to the massive stone doors on her own. She didn't protest when I picked her up, carrying her bridal style to the doors.

I pushed on the door with my backside and it creaked as it swung open. After coming through, I leaned back against it to push it shut. I looked down at Frisk for a moment and found her asleep, one hand curled in the fur lining of my jacket. C was no where to be seen, but that wasn't unusual. He projected a hologram as he pleased. 

Rounding the corner of the well lit corridor, I stopped just in time to keep from smacking into a tall goat monster. I shivered, the urge to kneel palpable. Asgore didn't even have this kind of presence. I took a deep breath to steady myself, bowing my skull. I'd known the goat prince was here. The visitors from the Ruins had spoken of him in Snowdin. But I hadn't seen him myself. When I finally raised my head, I stared up at him for a long moment.

And then sighed, "She said she wanted to come back to Old Home. That she didn't feel safe sleeping even in Snowdin."

Asriel folded his arms over his chest. "And why not?"

Not the question I was expecting. I was expecting to be asked why I hadn't killed her. My expectations seem to be completely out of line with reality as of the past 16 odd hours. "Because I'm an ass. Have a place she can sleep?"

He nodded. "Of course. Follow me." He turned walking toward a set of stairs. "You look familiar. Are you related to Dr. Gaster?"

"I'm half of the good doctor."

Asriel looked over his shoulder at me for a moment, but continued walking. "What happened?"

"Wing Dings Gaster fell into the Core's main reactor and my brother and I crawled out."

The goat prince led me up a set of stairs into a comfortable home that was very similar to Asgore's in the capitol. He opened the door to a room for me, and I laid Frisk on the bed. Kneeling next to her, I pulled off her shoes, and covered her with a quilt.

"What made her want to come back so soon? It's only been a day."

I frowned. "It's been a little longer than that for us." Stood and turned to the prince. "She died. An assassin killed her in front of me. But her soul didn't persist. It shattered." I shook my skull. "The next thing I knew, time had reversed, and we were standing in the lobby of the MTT resort."

Asriel considered that for a moment. "I didn't detect a magical ability in her. And the ability to manipulate time in any fashion is a rare talent."

I frowned. "It might be latent. Something that only comes to her as she needs it." 

"The assassination. Is that why she wanted to come back?"

I nodded. "Yeah. She lied and said she was afraid she'd kill the assassins defending herself."

The hint of smile ghosted across his lips. "C? Status please."

The hologram appeared on the pillow next to Frisk's head. "I'm stable if a little unnerved by the sudden time change."

Asriel rolled his eyes. "I meant Frisk."

"Bones here is right. Frisk lied about being afraid of hurting monsters."

Asriel frowned. "Then what was that?"

C frowned. "I've been digging around in her head and when I say she came through slaughter, that doesn't even do it justice." He sat down, a red glow on the pillow. "I'm not sure how to explain this because she's locked large pieces of it away even from her own view. She's an only child and whatever part of the military she was in, coming out alive doesn't happen. It's a miracle of serious proportions that she survived. So with that in mind, imagine how her mother might feel to have resigned herself to losing her only child, have that child come back, only to lose that child on Mt. Ebott. That's what's got Frisk so upset."

C grimaced. "And there's another thing." He looked to me. "Dr. Gaster knows a lot about the barrier and how to open it."

I blinked. "What?" I shook my skull. "Impossible. I hold all of his memories."

C snorted. "Yeah. You might want to check with your brother on that because this is pretty serious." He looked up at Asriel. "The barrier takes seven human souls to open it. But the souls have to want to open the barrier. Here's the play back."

C's image disappeared and one of myself standing with posture erect and hands clasped behind my back replaced it. The voice of the good doctor filled the air. 

"Indeed, killing a human and collecting their soul would be a monumental mistake. A human soul doesn't just persist after death, it also maintains its personality and memories. I highly doubt that any of the collected souls would be willing to open the barrier for monsters after having died by their hands."

The image disappeared and C reappeared in its place. "We are so boned." He looked at me and shrugged. "No pun intended."

Asriel closed his eyes, tapping the side of his face with a clawed finger. "Well, Cecilia would not be so inclined of the six, but I suppose it depends on how the others died and their experiences before that death. We need to find out more about them."

C's hologram glitched, going fuzzy for a moment. "Oh... That's not good. She knows I'm not out and she's trying to wake up. I'm gonna call it a night and go dark so she stays asleep."

Asriel nodded. "Good night." He looked to me.

"I'm Sans, by the way."

He smiled, large and warm. "Asriel. But I'm willing to bet you figured that one out." He motioned to Frisk. "Can I trust you to be alone with her?"

"I carried her here, didn't I?"

"Touche. If you need anything, I'll be in the next room over." He left, closing the door behind him.

Frisk whimpered softly in her sleep, turning over, and moving restlessly. Taking a chance, I dug through her backpack, looking for something that might help sooth her sleep, like a stuffed animal. I found hiking supplies, some well wrapped food, a piece of the snowman, a notebook, a small flashlight, and a copy of Lem's 'Solaris.' 

"Into sci-fi, huh?" I sat in the chair next to the bed, making myself comfortable. "Here's to hoping you like stories read to you as much as Paps." 

Opening the book, I began to read aloud. It wasn't long before her breathing evened out and her restlessness ceased. I read until my eye sockets grew heavy and the book slipped from my hand. I woke the next morning with a pain in my neck. I stretched a bit to work it out and looked at Frisk. She was still asleep. I picked her book off the floor and returned it to her bag.

Leaving the room, I followed the smell of breakfast down the hall to the living room. The prince busied himself with laying out breakfast. He glanced up at me, but continued to work.

"Frisk still sleeping?"

I sat down. "Yeah."

Asriel set a cup of tea in front of me before taking a seat. "Tell me about the assassins and the skip in time, as far as you can surmise."

I frowned. "Someone took out the power in multiple sections of Hotland and rearranged to Core to make an endless loop, trapping whoever entered with a group of heavy hitting monsters. Knight Knights, Final Froggits, and the like. The one that got her was a Madjick in New Home, just as we were coming out of a Core exit." I sipped the tea. "When I caught her, her soul appeared. It cracked in half and then shattered. After that, I felt like I was floating in an endless void and I could hear your father speaking. He said, 'Our fate rests upon you. Stay Determined."

Asriel blinked, lower jaw hanging open. 

I looked to the side and then back to him, worried. "What?"

"My father said that to my brother Chara as he lay on his death bed." He sat back, arms crossed over his chest, and head down in thought. 

"Do you think she has a connection to your late brother in some fashion?"

"Besides the implant? No. And I didn't program C with that sort of information." He sat up and stirred his tea. "What happened after that?"

"There was a blinding flash and we were standing in the resort next to one of those glowing star crystals." I blinked. "The star crystals. What if they're giving her the power to alter time?"

Asriel sipped his tea. "I was of the opinion that they were just pretty stones."

"I was too, but when Frisk touches them, something happens. I don't know what exactly, but it reacts to her touch. And she feels compelled to touch them. And I mean every single one she sees."

He thought about that for a moment. "How did you get around the Core to New Home?"

I frowned. "Are you aware that the corridors and rooms in the Core can be completely rearranged?"

The goat prince nodded. "Yes. It's to keep people from reaching the main reactor."

"Even when the upper floors are rearranged, the basement level stays the same. You can always descend and then come back from another set of stairs. We took the route through my old lab and up to New Home from there."

"Monsters outside of the Ruins do not have the kind of experience with humans that we do. So I find it odd that she was recognized as such. Any idea who's trying to kill her?"

I shook my head.

"Mettaton."

We looked up and saw Frisk standing in the door way. 

"Mettaton is the one behind the power outages in Hotland, moving the floors around in the Core, and the assassins."

I leaned back, one arm off the back of my chair. "How do you figure?"

"It isn't obvious?" She came in and sat at the table, dropping her backpack to sit next to the chair. "He's attempted to kill me on multiple occasions using the rolling black outs in Hotland. That's only possible if you know when they're happening. I'm willing to bet that the Core being moved into a never ending loop was a way to delay us until his next plan was ready."

Asriel pushed a plate of food in front of her and she smiled up at him in a relaxed and unguarded way. "Thank you."

"You don't seem all that upset that he's trying to kill you," I muttered.

Frisk shrugged. "I like him. His attempts are entertaining."

"You weren't all that thrilled about dying."

She frowned. "I was comfortable and caught off guard."

C suddenly appeared on her shoulder. "Stop it! Stop it! Being comfortable is not something to avoid! Being happy is not a weakness! Stop the bull shit bravado!" 

Frisk blinked, taken aback by his vehemence. 

Asriel laid a hand on her shoulder. "He is correct. You need to let go."

She frowned, staring down at her plate. "I can't just turn it off. Even after desensitization and integration therapies, it's still there."

Asriel gripped her shoulder for a moment to make her look up. "Do you remember leaving the resort and going to Snowdin?"

"We got on the ferry."

"Are you saying that because that's logically what happened or do you remember actually doing it?"

Frisk looked away.

"Do you avoid feeling happy and participating in things that provoke a positive response?"

Frisk stared hard at her food, saying nothing. 

Asriel smiled a little. "Even hundreds of years later, I still have nightmares about the day I lost two people I loved very dearly, one after the other. There are still moments when I can't stand the noise around me or can't recall important details of the day." He pulled Frisk into a hug. "The thing about post traumatic stress is that even after the therapy, you have to keep working on it. It never goes away, but that doesn't mean that you can't control it. That you can't fight back. But what you're doing right now isn't fighting it. It's only making it worse. C?" 

"Yeah, boss man?"

"You have a file marked P-2 in your memory. Accessing it will give you the tools you need to help her."

"Got it!" C disappeared.

Asriel patted Frisk's back gently. "Eat some breakfast. While you do that, we need to talk about opening the barrier."

I shook my skull before finishing the last of my tea. "Unless you have a magic wand to make people feel better about their deaths, we're going to have a serious problem."

Frisk reached into her bag and pulled out the notebook. "Cecilia Indigo died of natural causes here in Old Home, so I doubt that she'd be unwilling to open the barrier. If we know more about the circumstances of the other's deaths, we'll have a better idea of what their disposition on the matter might be. Grillby mentioned that Heidi Jaydon lived in Snowdin for a while and worked for him as a cook. Maybe if we start asking around, we'll start finding out more about them." She paused for a moment, staring at her plate before looking up at Asriel. "I know you stay here so you don't have to look at your father, but, can I count on you to be there when it's time to open the barrier?"

Asriel smiled. "You couldn't keep me away."

"Then we'll talk to Grillby first since he's our best, and closest, lead. We'll branch out from there, talking to the older residents of each area." She looked up at me. "Can I count on your help?"

I smirked. "I've followed you this far. I don't see why I should stop now."

"It's just that--"

I sat up and cut her off. "It's nothing. You don't need to apologize. You have every right to your opinion of me. I don't like talking about myself, even when it involves information others need. But that's no excuse for being less than helpful when you needed it most."

Frisk nodded and finished her breakfast in silence. 

After cleaning up, Asriel saw us off at the massive stone doors. He watched as Frisk noticed one of Alphys cameras in the bushes and took a moment to make a funny face at the lens. "Interesting..."

I looked up at him. "What?"

"That a large amount of LOVE can be contained and even mitigated with therapy. It's an idea worth exploring among monster kind." He patted my shoulder. "When you need me, call." 

I nodded and followed my human back out into the snow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: The next chapter may be delayed a week based on my wifi situation next Thursday. Thank you to everyone who has commented on the story! I really appreciate it. :)


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven  
(C is our narrator!)

Frisk stood at the bar, talking to Grillby while Bones spent the time petting the various members of the guard dogs. Grillby didn't have much more information that what he gave before. Just some dates, helping to confirm the times as Asriel had given them.

Frisk looked at her notes. "Based on what both Asriel and Grillby said, Heidi Jaydon would have been in her late thirties to early forties when she left Snowdin." She frowned and absently reached out to scratch greater dog behind the ears. A thought occurred to her and she smacked her own head. "I can't believe this. We are missing the most obvious place to get information!"

Bones looked up. "Oh?"

"Undyne." She fished out her phone and dialed.

The fish woman's voice came through loud and clear. "What's up, punk?"

"Hey, Undyne. Do you have Royal Guard records on the six human souls you have in containment?"

"I should. Why?"

Frisk grimaced. "Are you sitting down?"

"Oh no." The sound of a chair scratching at the floor came over the phone. "Sitting."

"Not at the piano."

Undyne snorted. "You're about to tell me something really bad, aren't you?"

Frisk sucked in a breath. "Yeah. It's bad."

"Give me a sec." I could here a door open and close, and then the sound of water. "Okay." She sighed heavily. "Lay it on me."

"The barrier takes seven humans to open it. Those humans have to want it to open. So..."

"MURDERED HUMANS AREN'T GOING TO WANT IT OPEN!" There was a loud crash on other end of the phone and the sound of the Dummy yelling. After a long silence, there was a huff and sound of Undyne hitting the ground as she sat. "Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"FUCK!" 

"How many have you killed?"

There was a shocked silence on the other end of the phone. "None. The only human I'd encountered before you died before I got there." Undyne sighed deeply. "So now what?"

"So now, I check out the records. It may give us an indication on how the humans died. I know that at least one died of natural causes after living a long life in the Ruins and her soul was transferred to the capitol after her death. If the others had less than murdery fates, we still have a shot of getting the barrier open."

"Come to my place. I'll have the records by the time you get here. Bring me some cheese fries from Grillbys on the way." There was a moment of silence and then, "Thank you." The line disconnected.

Frisk stared at her phone for a moment, blinking. "Huh."

"What's wrong, Babe?"

She glanced at Bones for a moment before stowing her phone. "She thanked me."

Bones gave Doggo a good scrubbing on either side of his neck. "Of course she did. Despite everything..." He looked up at her with that one, glowing eye. "You're determined to help." He looked over his shoulder. "Hey, Grillby! A Captain of the Royal Guard size of cheese fries to go, please."

Grillby set a bag on the table. "Good luck."

Frisk picked up the bag and turned to find everyone in the bar staring at her.

"Are we really trapped here forever?"

"What if the souls don't want to open the barrier?"

"What are we going to do?"

The armless monster kid got right up in Frisk's face. "You can fix it, right?"

Frisk smiled. "I'm going to try. I'll have a better idea after I see Undyne." She looked to Bones, who patted Doggo on the head before standing and gesturing for her to go first. We headed out the door and to the ferry. The Riverperson waited for us on their boat.

"Would you like a ride today?"

Frisk stepped on the boat. "Yes, please."

"To where?"

"Waterfall," Bones supplied.

The boat rose up out of the water, suddenly running across the surface on legs. Frisk grabbed a hold of Bones to steady herself.

"Tra la la. I heard that Asgore has a favorite food. Tra la la."

The boat came to a stop at Waterfall's dock. 

"Come again."

"Will do," Frisk managed, stepping off the boat a little too quickly.

Bones chuckled. "That was different."

"It's never done that before, right?" Frisk asked, eyes a little wide.

The skeleton shrugged. "Not for me at least."

Frisk smiled and they both laughed as they headed up the path to Undyne's. The door to the house was open, and Papyrus was clearly visible, drinking a cup of tea at the table. 

Undyne stormed out of the house as soon as she saw us, jerking her thumb at the taller of the two skelebros. "That jerk knew about it!"

Frisk raised an eyebrow. "And yet, you don't seem that angry."

Undyne rolled her eyes. "I understand why he didn't say anything. But he's adamant that you'll open the barrier."

Frisk walked in the house and sat at the table. "What's got you so convinced that I'll open the barrier?"

"LOGIC, MY DEAR. YOU ARE VERY DETERMINED TO GET HOME."

The 'Frisk' in the office immediately perked up, suspicious. Huh. Was Frisk thinking that Papyrus knew something and wasn't saying?

Papyrus poured Frisk a cup of tea as she reached for the files on the table. 

Undyne sat down next to Frisk. "I have them organized from the newest record on top to the oldest."

Frisk nodded, pulling out her notebook. In the margins of her notes where little, half sketched doodles, most of them scratched out or erased. I frowned, not really knowing what to make of that. She opened the first file.

"Sabri Vinil. Human male of advanced age. Walked to Snowdin with the help of several monsters from the Ruins. Passed in his sleep at the inn. Soul collected by Captain Undyne of the Royal Guard."

Undyne nodded. "The monsters from Old Home insisted on carrying his body to New Home." She frowned. "Sabri was nothing like you. His soul was strong, but his body had been weak, like he needed a medicine he didn't have and no one here could give him."

Frisk patted her on the shoulder. "Well, he seems to have made several good friends before passing, so that counts in our favor." She pulled the next file. "Cecilia Indigo. This is the one that fell as a child and lived out her life in Old Home."

She reached for the next file. "Hector Iola. Captured by members of the royal guard in Hotland and killed in an attempt to escape." Frisk frowned deeply. "He was a child. Not even old enough to learn how to drive a car."

Undyne, not knowing what to say, grabbed the next file. "Euridice Boyd. Nothing listed." She poked a line on the file. "It says to speak with Gerson."

"Who's Gerson?"

Undyne's smile was too big for her face. "The Hammer of Justice! He's so old, he fought in the war that trapped us Underground. He runs a shop just down the road."

Frisk nodded. "We'll talk to him when we finish up here." She took the next file. "Heidi Jaydon. From talking to Grillby, we know she worked as a cook in Snowdin before leaving."

Undyne's jaw fell open. "NO WAY!"

"Yeah." Frisk raised an eyebrow. "Why is that shocking?"

"Grillby is another of us 'oldsters,'" Bones answered. "He fought in the war, so he knows what a human looks like." 

Frisk looked down at the file. "Died of heat exhaustion in Hotland."

"COMMON IN HOTLAND BEFORE THE CURRENT VENTILATION SYSTEM WAS PUT IN PLACE."

Undyne opened the last file. "The first human to fall down was Leo Cam. Adult human male. Died in an altercation with monsters outside Snowdin." Undyne dropped the file. "So far, two humans with definite reasons to not want the barrier open and maybe two more."

Frisk blinked. "First human? Did Leo Cam fall before Prince Chara?"

Undyne shook her fishy head. "Prince who?"

I sat down for a moment, drawing my knees up and hugging them. Had Dad really forgotten me? He'd declared war on all humans. Does that mean even my memory? Was Az the only one to keep it?

"You okay, C?"

No. I'm not. "I'm good. Just thinking about how to use the information in the P-2 folder." 

Frisk didn't respond to that, but the 'Frisk' in the blue dress came in and hugged me, even as the real her stood. "Le's go see Gerson then." 

As the four left the house, lightning bugs began to rise, lighting up here and there around the garden and it's little pond. Frisk stopped for a minute to watch. When Undyne reached out to take her arm, both of the brothers shook their skulls, motioning for the two legged mermaid to wait. Frisk watched the bugs and a memory of sitting on the porch of a house somewhere surfaced for a moment before fading again. She looked to Undyne and motioned for her to lead on, but something had happened. The 'Frisk' in the office and training room started working harder while the one in the blue dress only frowned, before smiling at me patiently.

Undyne led us to the cave opposite the ferry's dock. The cave interior glittered with shining crystals, giving the whole place a kind of magical glow. Another memory surfaced, one of a trip into a cave long ago, that was just as quickly shoved down. I frowned and opened the P-2 file again. The file had a lot of useful information in it, but I wasn't sure how to approach it. 

An old turtle in a pith helmet and a button down with shorts an archaeologist would be proud of, cackled when he saw us. "Undyne! How's my favorite Captain of the Royal Guard?"

"Could be better." Undyne handed him the file. "Do you remember Euridice Boyd?" 

The old turtle froze solid, and then his smile grew even wider. "So the Royal Guard is finally going to give me my comeuppance for helping Euri? I guess it was only a matter of time. Wa ha ha!"

Undyne swatted at him. "No, you old coot! The file says to ask you about her."

He chuckled under his breath and looked at Frisk as he spoke. "Old Euri! This would have been, what? A hundred or more years ago? I don't remember. But she came down here looking for a way out. And, as we all know, there ain't no way out of the cavern with the barrier in place. So she settled down here in Waterfall, making herself up to look like a monster, and becoming the local sheriff!" 

The turtle frowned then, and I got the distinct feeling that it wasn't a normal thing for him to do. "Then one day, she said she had to leave. And she needed help packing her bags. She was looking pretty old by that point, so I helped her pack a few things and walked her over to the little park with the bench not far from here. She sat down and..." He trailed off for a moment and then pointed to Undyne. "Well, I called Captain Rithers, the lion monster who headed the Royal Guard long before you, and he carried her body to New Home while I carried her soul." He smiled, sadly. "She was a damn good sheriff. Always fair, always of service, and with a real eye to justice."

A tear welled up in his old, yellow eyes. "We all knew she was human. Us 'moldy oldies' anyway, but we didn't care. It weren't like her death was suddenly gonna open the barrier." He sniffed. "Sometimes she'd slip up. She liked a drink or two when she took a day off and she'd start talking about life on the surface and how much she missed her family. The three little ones that had to grow up without their momma. The husband who had to raise the ankle biters alone." He wiped at his eyes. "And Captain Rithers would pat her on the shoulder." The turtle shook his head. "He fell down a few days after she did. Guess he couldn't bear to lose such a good friend."

The distant echo of the water outside the cave was the only sound while Gerson handed the file back to Undyne. She leaned down, took his pith helmet off of him, and kissed the top of his scaly head. 

He smiled before pointing at Frisk. "Here. This might come in handy." The turtle handed her a faded, yellow box. Inside was an old pistol.

"Woah. This is an antique!"

Gerson smiled, giving her a wink. "But still in working condition."

Frisk sighed. "I'm not interested in hurting anyone."

"I know. That's why I'm giving it to you. Some of the monsters down here have grown a little big for their britches. You can put them back in their place."

She frowned, looking it over. "It's old. Anyone using it would have to be a good shot to start."

"ARE YOU?"

Frisk looked up at Papyrus. "Yes. Yes I am."

Gerson's guffaws followed us out of the cave and back to Undyne's place.

I sat down on Frisk's shoulder. "So now what?"

Frisk shook her head. "I need to talk to the souls."

"Just like that?"

Frisk smiled. "Yeah. I know. It sounded weird even as I said it. But I'm pretty sure that's what I need to do."

"What about Asgore?"

She shrugged. "I'll cross that bridge when I get there. I still have to get past Mettaton."

Undyne groaned. "Oh man, that guy! He came over with Alphys once and all he did was lie on my piano, and feed himself grapes." 

"SHE IS NOT VERY FOND OF OUR METAL FRIEND."

Frisk smiled. "I can tell."

"How about some lunch?" Bones asked. "Dyne hasn't even touched her fries yet."

"OH YEAH! I could really use them right now!"

Bones elbowed Frisk. "What do you want from Grillby's?"

"GRILLBY'S? WE'RE TOO REFINED FOR THAT GREASEHOLE."

Bones gave his brother a smile. "Ah, come on, Paps! It's not that bad."

"IT'S DARK AND FULL OF GREASE. PURGATORY OF FRIES... HAMBURGER ABYSS... YOU PRACTICALLY LIVE THERE!"

Bones shrugged. "So what do you want?"

Papyrus sighed heavily. "A CHEESEBURGER."

"Babe?"

"Cheeseburger and fries, please."

Bones disappeared as Frisk pulled out her notebook, immediately going back to work, looking over her notes and comparing them with the files. I stared at the contents of the P-2 folder. Frisk was still doing everything possible not to relax. I guess old habits die hard.

I quit reading for a moment and headed into the crafts room to sit since it was comfortable to do so. That and the smile of the Frisk in the blue lace dress was so infuriatingly patient with me that I needed a break from it. The Frisk in the craft room glanced at me, but otherwise did nothing. Literally nothing. She sat at the window and looked outside, not touching any of the half finish projects found around the room. When I thought about it, I realized that this Frisk hadn't left the window seat at all since I first saw her. This room, filled with things she loved to do, was gathering dust. I knew the Frisk in the office had been busy on a constant level since waking up. 

I sat down as it hit me. She was avoiding things that made her happy, just working to cope rather than actually heal. I pulled down the AI interface and sorted the files in P-2. There it was: get back to doing things you love. I looked around the room. What could she start doing right now? Sewing was out. So was knitting. Drawing wasn't. That's just paper and pencil. She already had that in hand and even if she'd scratched it out, some part of her was desperate to doodle.

Looking around, I found a desk covered in paper, pencils, ink, and paints. I cleaned off the chair and organized the desk a bit to make an open area to actually work in. Satisfied that it looked right, I went over to the Frisk sitting at the window. Taking her hand, I pulled her from the window and sat her down at the desk. She looked up at me, face blank.

"What are you doing, C?"

I huffed looking into the air, still not used to her voice just being everywhere. "Trying to get you back into doing things you like."

"It's not really the a good time, all things considered."

"There's never going to be a good time." I reached for a pencil to force into the hand of the 'Frisk' sitting next to me and knocked over a bottle of ink, the black spreading over the paper. 

'Frisk' shook her head, taking a brush from a cup, and spreading the ink around, pushing it over the paper. The other hand righted the ink well and dipped a pen in it before leaning over the paper to start working. Looking through Frisk's eyes, I saw her poking at a piece of paper from her notebook, and the pencil in her hand began to move.

Two boys appeared, twins by the similarity in face if not hair, one light and the other dark. Both dressed in matching pin stripe pants and white button downs, sleeves rolled up, goggles resting on their heads. They played with a finely dressed, female goat monster in a throne room filled with flowers. The light haired boy smiled widely with happiness, while his brother watched him with a soft, but thankful smile. The silhouettes of two large goat monsters watched the children play from the door way behind the three. 

The sketch done, she turned the page. Under her pencil, a skeleton monster appeared, multiple wires attached to the back of his skull as he stared up in wonder at a computer screen and the little girl displayed there. She turned the page again and under the pencil a woman who looked almost exactly like Frisk began to look out at the paper at us, a camera in her hand. Frisk grabbed the set of colored pencils Papyrus slid next to her, coloring the woman's eyes in multiple hues. 

Turning the pages back, Frisk added color to the images. The light haired of the two twins was given pink tips. The skeleton monster staring up at the monitor was bathed in a blue glow from the screen, the wires running with a bright green. The woman with the camera was surrounded by a major city at night, the shadows of the people passing around her very obviously not human.

Frisk set the pencils down and I looked down at the 'Frisk' sitting at the desk. The paper was blank, as if ink hadn't spilled across it at all. The drawings, completed masterfully in her head, now hung on the walls.

"Who are they?"

Frisk shook her head. "I don't know. But I dream about them." Frisk sighed, smiling a little. "Hey, C?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

I smiled. "Anytime."

The 'Frisk' at the desk stood, stretching a little, and went back to the window sill, but rather than look out at the forest beyond with a dead stare, she picked up one of the many books from the piles around the window seat, and began to read.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve  
(Frisk is our narrator!)

I stared down at the sketches. I missed drawing. Terribly. I missed sewing and knitting. I missed reading because it was enjoyable and not because I could use it for a specific purpose. I missed a lot of things and the awful truth was that only one of those things was forever beyond my reach. Dad would be so disappointed right now. Wasn't it my mission, now that the war was over, to acclimate back to a civilian life? To be more the girl who left and not the Viper who slithered behind enemy lines? 

Sighing, I pushed the files and notebook out of the way for the bag of food Bones handed me. I tried to imagine, for a moment, the man he and Papyrus had once been, eating this sort of food. I had the distinct feeling that it was a guilty pleasure that he'd never admit too. Papyrus was doing his best to pretend that he wasn't relishing every bite confirmed it. Bones simply ate.

Undyne stared down at her cheese fries as she ate. "Do you think that other humans might have fallen and simply lived their lives here in the Undergound without us knowing?"

Papyrus looked up from his meal. "IT IS POSSIBLE."

"I guess I don't get why monsters like Grillby and Gerson would have just let a human live. They saw the war."

"But that's why," I explained. "They saw it and they were long done with it. Eventually, the memories of what life was like before wash out the bad ones. Seeing a human again, for the older monsters, may be a lot like seeing a long lost friend after ages apart."

Undyne looked at me for a moment, considering that. "So are there people like that for you? Friends who became enemies by circumstance alone?""

I thought about friends from school, people I had to say goodbye to because the tensions before the war meant they had to leave or be forcibly deported. "Yeah. I don't know if they're alive or not though."

Bones' phone rang and Alphys voice carried around the room. "Hotlands and the Core are back in order! The elevator from MTT resort to New Home is still out, but that's not really an issue with the Core interior arranged for quick passage back to New Home. And the workmen got the Core elevator working again, so you can use that to go directly to Asgore's place." I heard the nervous tapping of clawed fingers on a desk top. "Uh... So... What's the plan?"

"Have you been following the conversation through your video feed?" Bones asked.

"Y-Yeah. Oh man. We are... We're screwed, aren't we?"

Bones shrugged. "Maybe." His single, white eye slid over to look at me. "Maybe not. Frisk's got an idea. We just need to get to Asgore."

"Have you heard from or seen Mettaton?" I asked.

I could almost see Alphys shaking her scaly head. "No. Nothing."

Frowning, I looked to Bones. He shrugged. "He's after you, so we'll see him again. Are you ready to head out?"

I nodded and stood. "Yeah."

"You can take a break. There isn't a rush."

An image of mom popped up behind my eyes and I shook my head. "There is for me."

Bones shrugged, smiling in a tired way.

I looked to Undyne. "Thanks for fetching the files." I looked to Papyrus. "Thank you for letting me borrow the pencils."

"KEEP THEM. YOU MAY YET NEED THEM."

I smiled and put the package in my backpack before following Bones out the door and down to the ferry.

"Hey." Bones poked my shoulder. "Hold up a minute."

I paused and looked up at him. 

"You sure you're all right? You look like you might be feeling better, but..." He gestured with one boney hand, moving it over his face so that he looked through the hole in his palm. "You've got that 'mask,' so it's not that easy to tell."

I put my hands on my hips, head cocked to the side. "Then how do you know that I 'might be feeling better?'"

His hand came away from his face to point at me. "You're putting out some strong body language."

I chuckled a little and reached out, touching his hand. It felt hard, like actual bone. "It feels strange."

His brow raised, which seemed to be completely in contrast to the hardness of the finger bones. "Is that a problem?"

I shook my head. Taking his hand in mine, I turned it over, examining the palm and exploring the edges of the hole with my finger tips. Of all the things he was so guarded about, it was strange that this was something he wasn't. This seemed far more personal than a past he'd long disconnected from. Far more personal... 

I let go and stepped back. "I'm sorry. I got carried away."

He smirked. "Carried away? If you'd gone for the ribs, I'd call that carried away." Bones took my hand in his, lifting it up. "Other monsters find it fascinating too, and I refuse to let simple curiosity be a crime." He pressed my fingers to the face of his skull. "Soft here." He lifted my fingers to the top of his skull, running them gently along the top. "Hard up on top and around the back."

"Where did you get the cracks? Since you and your brother both have them, I assume they happened before the separation."

Bones nodded and let go of my hand. "The good doctor took an explosion to the face when making the first of the Core reactors." He gestured to the ferry dock and we stepped on the boat, heading for Hotlands. 

"Tra la la. Beware the man who speaks in hands. Tra la la."

Bones threw his arms up in the air. "Hey! I'm standing right here! Don't you know it's rude to talk about someone who's listening?"

There was a soft chuckle from under the River Person's hood as the boat came to rest next to Hotland's dock. Bones grumbled as he stepped off the boat, but wasn't put out enough to forget about me. He reached back to offer me a hand and I took it. 

"So what did the River Person mean by 'speaks in hands?'" I asked.

"Remember how I spoke down in the Core..." He trailed off, staring at me, slack jawed. "You understood what I said."

"Yes." I looked to the side for a moment and then back at him. "Is that an issue?"

"Dr. Gaster spoke in a dialect that most monsters don't even recognize. Even Alphys has no idea what Papyrus or I are saying when she's leading us out of the Core." He leaned over, looking at me closely. "But you understood it."

I leaned back a little. "It didn't sound strange."

"C? Were you translating for her?"

C burst to life on my shoulder. "Nope. I'm pretty sure I only understood what you said because Frisk did."

He stood back up, shoulders dropping with a sigh. "Mystery for another time I guess." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Anyway, that's what the River Person meant by speaking in hands. It's a reference to the dialect."

I frowned, wondering what that meant exactly. Thinking back on it, the doctor had seemed surprised that I was talking to him, but I hadn't thought much about it. Nothing had seemed out of the ordinary. Well, except that Bones had literally become a completely different person. There was that. Oh and that completely different person was completely aware of his situation. 

After taking the elevator through Hotlands, we went through the resort, and I stopped to touch the glowing star crystal by the fountain again. But this time, I stopped and concentrated on it, looking for whatever it was in the crystal that pulled me back from death to this place. A glowing button appeared in front of me: a stylized heart next to the word 'SAVE.'

Bones stood next to me. "What is that?" His voice had lost part of its grounded quality, sounding far more ethereal than before, more like Dr. Gaster.

"I don't..." I blinked. "Maybe it's like a video game and literally saving my progress."

C grimaced. "That's a really disturbing idea."

I shivered.

Bones shook his skull. "You're thinking about it the wrong way. If we were in a video game, you wouldn't have control over your actions. A video game character would not have demanded to go back to Prince Asriel after dying. They would have sallied forth without taking a break. This is different. You have some power that we don't currently understand. That doesn't mean that we never will."

I looked back at the glowing 'SAVE' and touched it. As it disappeared, I felt refreshed and determined to move forward. We hopped in the elevator with several monsters all taking the long way home. The monsters crowded around me suddenly, jostling Bones to the back of the elevator.

"Hey! It's you! The fake human on MTT's new Killer Robot programs!"

"Oh My GOSH! Can I get an autograph!"

"What's it like to work with Mettaton?"

"How are you able to look so human? It's like the best cosplay ever!"

I smiled and signed autographs for those who asked and posed for pictures with others. When the elevator let us out, the crowd pushed me through the door way into the corridor to New Home and the King's residence. An electrical barrier came up, cutting Bones off from the crowd. The floor lifted up to stage height and I planted my feet to keep from falling. Spot lights lit the area and I covered my eyes not to be blinded. Mettaton, in all his rectangular glory, stood in front of me.

"OH YES. THERE YOU ARE, DARLING. IT'S TIME TO HAVE OUR LITTLE SHOW DOWN!" He posed dramatically.

My phone rang and I picked it up, knowing it would annoy him. It was Alphys. "OH MY GOD, Mettaton! Just what do you think you're doing?!"

"MOI? Why, Alphys dearest! I'm saving humanity! This human is the last soul we need to open the barrier! If Asgore takes her soul, then the barrier will open, and Asgore will destroy all of humanity! And I can't have that, now can I? I WANT TO BE THE IDOL OF THE WORLD!!! I WANT TO BE THE IDOL OF HUMANITY!!!" 

Mettaton pointed at me. "I'M THE ONE WHO HIRED THE ASSASSINS! BUT NOW I KNOW THAT WAS A POOR IDEA! I WILL TAKE THIS HUMAN'S SOUL MYSELF, CROSS THE BARRIER, AND BE THE GREATEST STAR THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN!!!"

The camera crew came in, surrounding us.

C whistled long and low in my ear. "We've hit Bond Villain now, haven't we?"

I smiled. "Oh. Oh yeah."

"You really like him, don't you?"

I giggled a little. "This is, by far, the most creative way someone has ever tried to kill me. I am highly entertained, C."

"Sorry, folks! The old program has been cancelled, but this new finale will drive you all wild. REAL DRAMA! REAL ACTION!! REAL BLOODSHED!!!"

"Oh damn it all!" Alphys yelled. "Listen closely, Frisk! Mettaton's chassis is unable to be damaged! You can't fight him while he's in that box! On his back is a switch. If you flip it, it will force him out of the box and into his 'show body.' I haven't finished it yet, so you'll be able to dismantle him! So long as you don't remove his head from his torso, he'll be fine. He'll just run out of power and won't be able to attack you!"

"Got it." I hung up the phone and shoved it in a pocket. "Hey Mettaton! You need to look extra good for a human audience! You better check yourself in the mirror behind you!"

"RIGHT, I HAVE TO LOOK PERFECT FOR OUR GRAND FINALE!" He turned around. "WHERE IS IT? I DON'T SEE IT?"

I walked up to him and flipped the massive red switch. 

"DID YOU. JUST FLIP. MY SWITCH?" 

The rectangular chassis detached from him, the pieces hitting the stage hard enough to send up a cloud of dust from the floor. A humanoid body appeared, shiny, metallic, and with some great Ferrah Fawcett style hair covering one eye. In the blinding lights, I could make out what Alphys meant about the body not being finished. I was pretty sure that under that hair of his, he only had half a face, while the connections of his limbs to the torso weren't strong.

"Oh my. If you flipped my switch, that can only mean one thing. You're desperate for the premiere of my new body. How rude... Lucky for you, I've been aching to show this off for a while now. So, as thanks, I'll give you a handsome reward. I'll make your last living moments... ABSOLUTELY beautiful!"

A massive flat screen tv lowered from the ceiling as Mettaton strutted towards me. The spot lights followed him, before he stopped to pose dramatically. He began dancing and the monsters stuck in the room with us began cheering wildly. I looked back over my shoulder and saw a few monsters giving me thumbs up. I really hope they meant that in the modern sense and not the Ancient Roman one. 

The robot stopped dancing to pose again, before launching at me with a kick. I dove to the side only to have to dive roll to the stage to avoid his foot coming at me again. Wow, was he fast! He threw a right straight and I got out of the way just in time to need to flip backwards to avoid another kick. He kept throwing straight punches almost too fast for me to keep up with. A kick caught me in the stomach and sent me rolling across the stage.

C hissed. "Damn it all! Uh... Got it! How about this?" 

C pulled something in my head. Like a lock somewhere that I wasn't aware existed. The world felt warmer, more present.

"Okay, this guy is all about the show. Let's start stealing his thunder!"

I nodded. "Got it." I rolled to my feet as Mettaton stood over me, dissing me with the wag of a finger. I posed dramatically. The crowd went completely wild and the ratings shown on the flat screen climbed dramatically. 

He turned with a smile and pointed. Several tiny versions of his rectangular body came at me. Whatever C had done in my head, they didn't seem to be moving as fast as they should have. I took the opportunity to ham it up, spinning and pirouetting around the projectiles, before leaping into a back flip, and landing in a pose.

Mettaton came at me again, and I rolled under his kick only to have him grab my sweater and lift me into the air. Before he could toss me, I wrapped my legs around his neck and threw my weight backwards. The robot lost his balance, letting go of my sweater, and I was able to catch the handstand, throwing him backwards like Sonya Blade.

"That was awesome!" C yelled. 

I stayed in the handstand long enough to do a split and flipped up from there. "I've always wanted to do that." 

The crowd was screaming, fever pitched. Mettaton was still sorting himself out, so I quickly stole the stage. Spinning, I let the muscle memory from years of dancing lessons take over, bringing one leg up in a split, and using the momentum to roll forward. Coming to my feet, I reached out for a partner that wasn't there before leaning far back into a dramatic pose. The ratings on the flat screen spiked again. 

"That Tin Can is loving these ratings!" C laughed. "Here he comes!"

Mettaton took my hand, spinning me toward him, before lifting me high. Rather than a full on throw, he gave me a light toss with a spin, and I tucked my arms in to keep from smacking against him. He caught me and set me on my feet only to swiftly grab one of my ankles and left me high again, balancing me easily. Giving a me a much stronger toss this time, I flipped over. Luckily, I landed without spraining an ankle only to dodge as he kicked at me again. 

He pointed at me and the glowing heart in his torso pulsed. 

"That's it!" C yelled. "That's his power core!"

I pulled out the antique gun and turned, aiming quick for the heart, and hitting it dead center. Mettaton's eyes went blank in shock as his limbs blew off, his torso and head hitting the ground. The crowd erupted in crazy applause.

I sighed, putting the gun back before heading over to him. I knelt down and lifted his head a bit, supporting the neck. "You still with us?"

He smiled, head turning to the flat screen. "Look at these ratings! This is the most viewers I've ever had!"

I looked up, tracking the line. Ten thousand? Were there only that many monsters down here? Weren't there more?

"We've reached the viewer call-in milestone! One lucky viewer will have the chance to talk to me before I leave the Underground forever!!!"

I looked down at him and his broken body. He wasn't going anywhere, but I didn't feel the need to break him of his delusion. The crowd quieted.

"Let's take our caller! What do you have to say on this, our last show?"

Napstablook's voice filled the air. "Oh. Hi... Mettaton..."

Mettaton's smile fell.

"I really like watching your show... My life is pretty boring... but... watching you on the screen... brought excitement to my life vicariously."

Mettaton's eyes closed, grimacing with a deep sadness. 

"I can't tell but... I guess this is the last episode? I'll miss you Mettaton... Oh... I didn't mean to talk for so long... Oh..."

Mettaton's eyes opened wide. "No. Wait! WAIT! Blook--" Mettaton's head dropped as the phone cut to dial tone. "Oh. He hung up." The robot gave me a weak smile. "I'll take another caller!"

"Mettaton! Your show made us so happy!"

"Mettaton! I don't know what I'll do without you!"

"Mettaton! There's a Mettaton shaped hole in my Mettaton shaped heart!"

The robot's smile was gone again. "Ah. I see..." The corners of his mouth curled up again, sadly. "Everyone... Thank you so much..." He looked at me. "Darling, perhaps it might be better if I stay for a while. Humans have their stars and idols, but monsters, they only have me. If I left, the Underground would lose it's spark. I'd leave an aching void that can never be filled. I guess I have to delay my debut. Besides, you've proven to be very strong. Perhaps even strong enough to get past Asgore. I'm sure you'll be able to protect humanity. It's all for the best anyway. This body's energy consumption is... inefficient."

Alphys was suddenly standing over us, fuming. "It is not, you ass! It's simply incomplete and needs to run at double power to make up for the poor connections!"

Mettaton smiled big at her and she knelt down, lifting him up to hug him. 

"You idiot!" Alphys sighed. "Frisk will get us out of here. Let her handle it."

The robot chuckled a little before looking to the camera. "And Everyone! Thank You! You've been a great audience!" His eyes went dark, powering down completely.

The crowd applauded as Alphys stood. "I'll get him back together." She smiled at me. "Thanks for stopping him."

Bones climbed up on the stage and offered me a hand up. "You all right?"

I nodded. "I'm really tired."

He smiled. "Why don't we call it an early night?"

I sighed. After all that, I wasn't really ready for whatever the King of All Monsters was going to throw at me. "Okay. Walk me back to Old Home?"

He smirked. "Sure. Still don't trust me?"

I shook my head. "It's not that. It's just... I feel safe around Asriel. Like I did before dad died."

Bones put an arm around me and walked me back to the elevator.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen  
(Bones is our narrator!)

Asriel was waiting for us at the door to the Ruins with the most amused smile I'd ever seen on anyone's face. And that included my brother. 

Frisk eyed him suspiciously. "What?"

"Exciting day, huh?"

Frisk face palmed. "You saw?"

His smile grew wider. "I've never been that glued to a TV in my entire life." He motioned for us to come in. "Come on. I need you to decide what to do with all the flowers and gifts the residents of Old Home have been dropping on me in hopes of finding their way to you."

We headed down the corridor and up the stairs into a house filled with bouquets, wrapped packages, and baskets of fruits, chocolates, and baked goods. Frisk stood there with her mouth hanging open, staring. 

After a minute or two, Asriel poked her arm. "Frisk.exe is apparently at full stop."

Frisk took a deep breath. "What is all of this?!"

"These are gifts from your fan club. All the restaurants and bars in Old Home have been playing all episodes of the Killer Robot Series continuously. You're famous."

Frisk suddenly went white as a sheet and her knees buckled. I caught her, lifting her easily. 

Asriel chuckled. "Bring her in here and set her on the chair. I'll grab a smelling salt. How about some dinner?" He walked ahead of us into the living room, pulling the curtains shut so the monsters trying to peer inside wouldn't see that Frisk was inside. 

I set her down in the chair, pulling the blanket off the back, and wrapping it around her. 

Asriel headed into the kitchen. "Seems she isn't prepared for her sudden fame."

I shook my skull. "Not at all." I looked over the living room and the dining table covered in more gifts. "What are we supposed to do with all of this?"

"Good question," Asriel called from the kitchen. "I suggest going through it. There's bound to be a few useful things at least and that's besides the monster food." The goat prince came out of the kitchen and ran a smelling salt under her nose. She didn't even budge. "C? Status."

The hologram appeared on her shoulder. "I'm gonna be honest. I don't know. It's like she just called it a day. It's night time in her head and all parts of her mind have completely gone to sleep. Other than that, everything else seems to be fine. I think she just completely 'noped' out on the fame thing."

Asriel nodded. "I'll just put Frisk in bed and check her in the morning." He lifted her, blanket and all, and carried her down a hall strewn with more gifts. After dinner, I found her tossing in her sleep again. Pulling out her book, I picked up where I left off, calming her with my voice until I fell asleep.

I woke up to find Frisk sitting at the desk in the room, drawing in her notebook. I caught a glimpse of a skeleton in an edgy looking black leather jacket holding a tiny, little girl, a flower monster of some sort wrapped around her arm in the upper, left corner. The gold tooth in the skeleton's smile gleamed as the little girl kissed his nasal bone. In the lower, right corner, a man who looked so much like Frisk he could have been her twin sat with what appeared to be a more refined version of myself sharing a really fancy looking meal, while a Papyrus as refined as my brother watched over them both in an apron. In the lower, left hand corner, a pale human male with white hair and a skull mask resting on his head, snuggled a human infant, both smiling giddily.

She munched on one of the baked goods from one of the many baskets she'd been gifted, a cup of tea steaming next to her hand. When Frisk noticed me peeking, she quickly shut the notebook and shoved it in her pack. "Hey, lazy bones."

"Lazy? I suppose I am. Feeling a little better about your newfound stardom?"

She sighed deeply. "No. But the spider donuts are good."

"Made by spiders, for spiders, of spiders."

Frisk snorted.

"Has Asriel given you a check up yet?"

She nodded. "He said everything looks okay." Frisk's phone rang and she fished it out of her bag. "Hey, Undyne. Need something?"

I could hear Dyne whispering harshly. "Shut Up!!! This was YOUR idea, Papyrus!" She coughed. "Frisk! You have to deliver something for me! Please? I'm in Snowdin at Papyrus' place."

"All right."

"See ya, punk!" Undyne hung up.

Frisk looked to me. "Any ideas?"

I shook my skull and put an arm around her waist as she stood. "How about a short cut?" We went from the childhood room of Asriel Dreemurr to the outskirts of Snowdin and walked to the cabin I shared with Paps. 

Undyne waited in the doorway, smiling nervously. "Um, so, I have a favor to ask you. I need you to deliver this letter to Dr. Alphys."

Frisk took the heavily sealed letter. "So why don't you deliver it?"

"Why? Uh... It's kind of personal... but since we're friends... I'll t-tell you... Hotland SUUUUUCKS!!! I don't wanna have to go over there!!! Oh. And if you read it, I'll KILL you."

Frisk smiled deviously and made to open the envelope.

"OH MY GOD! I GONNA FREAKING KILL YOU!!!"

Frisk laughed, slipping the letter in her backpack. "No worries, Undyne. I'll take care of it."

Undyne smiled. "Thanks! You're the best!"

I followed Frisk as she made for the ferry, enjoying the spring in her step. "Running errands for monsters now?"

Frisk shrugged. "It's not like I don't walk past the Lab to go up to New Home. It's not that big a deal." She frowned. "Besides, I want to check on Alphys. There was something in her voice when we talked about the souls yesterday."

"You caught that, huh?"

"Is she hiding something in the Lab? The part I walked through seemed to be her home and not really a place built for experiments."

I nodded. "The real Lab is underneath."

Frisk stepped on the boat. "Hotlands, please."

The took off down the river. "Tra la la. Beware the man from the other world."

I threw my hands up. "Okay. That's not me. I'm from here."

Frisk rolled her eyes at me, chuckling. When we got to the Lab, she pushed on the door, only to find it locked. She looked at me and I shrugged. Reaching over her, I knocked on the door. Alphys could be heard shuffling around on the other side. But she didn't answer. Frisk pulled the letter out of her pack and slid it under the door.

"Oh... Oh no... Is that another letter?" Alphys shuffled around a bit. 

Frisk mouthed, 'Another?' 

I shrugged. We both leaned in for a closer listen. 

"I don't want to open it... Can't I just slide it back out...? No... I can't keep doing this. I'll read this one." There was the sound of fighting with paper. "It's shut kind of strongly. Hmm..." The distinct 'shing' of one of her claws sliding out filled the air, followed by a ripping sound. The door suddenly opened. "Hey, if this is a joke, it's..." She paused, looking at Frisk. "Oh My God? Did you write this?"

Frisk folded her arms over her chest raising an eyebrow. "Really? I highly doubt that you don't know who wrote that."

"It's just that it's not signed..." Alphys eyes went wide. "No. No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! That's not possible! It's not!"

Undyne ran up with Papyrus from the dock. "Hey, Frisk! I just thought that it might be a bad idea if you give that to Alphys so..." 

"Undyne!" Alphys ran up to her. "Did you... Did you write this...?" She shuffled a little. "I've been lying to you."

Undyne blinked down at her, but I'd seen that look before. Something was up. "About what?"

"About... About everything! I told you that seaweed was scientifically important, but really I just use it to make ice cream."

Frisk leaned over to me, pointing at Alphys as she whispered. "Am I missing something?"

"They've been dancing around each other for years, and Alphys has a tendency to lie because she doesn't think she's good enough as she is."

Frisk looked up at me. "She built Mettaton. Even if it is a ghost running around in a metal body, it's still an achievement."

"Yeah. I have no idea why her confidence is so poor." I shrugged. "We just kind of hold her up sometimes."

Frisk frowned. "Something else is going on here."

"And those human history books I loaned you? Those are just comic books. And the videos? Those are just, uh, anime. And..."

Undyne knelt down, putting her arms around Alphys, rubbing her head. "Shhh... shhh..."

"I just wanted to impress you. I just wanted you to think I'm smart and cool."

"Shhh.... Shhhh..."

As Alph calmed, Undyne lifted her up and tossed her to Papyrus, who was quick to catch her. 

"Alphys! I... I think you're neat too. But, you've got to realize that most of what you said really doesn't matter to me. I don't care if you're reading history books or watching kid cartoons. To me, ALL of that stuff is just NERDY CRAP! What I like about you is that you're PASSIONATE! You're ANALYTICAL!! It doesn't matter what it is! YOU CARE ABOUT IT!! 100% AT MAXIMUM POWER!!"

"It's over 9000," Frisk whispered. I snorted, quickly turning to lean against the Lab door to hide my laughter.

Undyne petted Alphys head while the dino clung to Paps. "So you don't have to lie to me. I don't want you to lie to anyone. Alphys... I want to help you become happy with who you are. And I know just the training you need to do that!"

"Undyne? You... Y-you're gonna train me...?"

"Pfft. What? Me? No. I'm gonna get Papyrus to do it."

Papyrus looked down at her. "I DO HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR A HUNDRED LAPS AROUND THE INTERIOR OF THE LAB, HOOTING ABOUT HOW GREAT YOU ARE."

Undyne crossed her arms over her chest. "Ready? I'm about to start the timer!"

Alphys fidgeted, looking at the Lab door nervously. "Undyne... I'll do my best..." Papyrus walked into the Lab, still carrying Alphys.

Undyne instantly grabbed Frisk by the shoulders. "OH MY GOD!!! She was kidding, right? The comics... The cartoons... Those are still REAL, right?! ANIME'S REAL, RIGHT?!?!"

Frisk sighed. "No. They aren't real."

"No... NO!!!! I CAN FEEL MY HEART BREAKING INTO A MILLION PIECES!"

Frisk snorted. "Oh stop. I know you're faking it!"

Undyne laughed, smile big. "Yeah... yeah..." She frowned at the door to the Lab. "But we got the door open." 

Frisk looked up at Undyne with new kind of respect. "You know she's hiding something."

Dyne frowned, still looking at the door. "Years before I met her, she was working on something here that involved the bodies of monsters who'd recently fallen down, but she never returned the monster's dust and she's not spoken about it since. Asgore won't push her to find out what's going on and..." Undyne bobbed her head side to side in frustration. "She sounded really off when we talked about the human souls after you whooped Mettaton, and locked herself in the Lab. And then I remembered that Asgore once mentioned to me that he'd loaned the souls to her for a short time."

Frisk and I looked at each other, before turning, and running for the Lab door. 

Papyrus opened it. "SHE'S ESCAPED INTO THE BASEMENT LEVEL OF THE LAB."

Undyne turned to Frisk and I. "You two take the elevator down! Papyrus and I will take the stairs!"

I grabbed Frisk's hand and we dashed for the elevator. Frisk hit the button to go down and the elevator moved smoothly before shuddering suddenly. 

A computerized voice filled the air. "WARNING! WARNING! ELEVATOR LOSING POWER! EM TETHER STABILITY LOST! ALTITUDE DROPPING!"

I grabbed Frisk around the waist, using blue magic to hold us aloft as the elevator smacked basement level. Summoning a bone, I shoved it in the elevator doors and pulled against it to lever the doors open. The elevator didn't line up with the floor correctly. I boosted Frisk up and followed her after she'd crawled out. Kneeling for a moment, Frisk dug in her bag to pull out a small and super bright LED flashlight to see in the dark. Even the emergency lights were out.

"Have you been here before?" Frisk asked, shining the torch around.

"Down in here? Not since the accident that split Paps and I."

"What did you do down here?"

"Experiments on ways to open the barrier." I took Frisk's hand in mine. "Follow me." I lead her down a corridor and up to the Lab's main elevator. It was out of power as well. I frowned. "The bottom floor of the lab isn't hooked up to the energy from the Core. It has it's own generator. We have to go through here to open it, but we'll have to kick start the four primers for the system."

Frisk nodded, shining her light on the door. "One of them is already glowing. So either Alphys, or Papyrus and Undyne have already primed that one. Where are the stairs from here?"

"All the way in the back near the one that's been primed."

Frisk smiled. "I hope that means Papyrus and Undyne have it under control. Let's hit the nearest one to be primed from here."

I pointed. "Around the corner there and down the hall."

Frisk turned and stopped, her flashlight coming to rest on a glowing star crystal. She reached out and touched it before turning and nodding to me. We headed down the dark hall way.

"So why isn't this place hooked up to the Core?"

I shrugged. "I didn't want any feedback from experiments to damage the Core, or over draw and leave the Underground with black outs." We stepped into a room with multiple beds and surgical equipment. "What the hell?"

Frisk shined the light around, before focusing on three sinks installed at the end of the room. "The water's running." She walked over, turning off each faucet. The water stopped, _something_ crawled from the sinks. Three large brains that appeared to be covered in faces, floated on the ends of dangling spinal cords. The three laughed and flew at Frisk. She dodged to the side and then back the other way, avoiding them. 

My phone vibrated hard enough that it fell from my pocket, ghostly voices pouring from the speaker. 

"Come join the fun."

"Come join the fun."

"Come join the fun."

They backed Frisk into a corner and she threw up her arms to cover her head... only to have them pass through her left arm when they touched her. She ran for me, and I put up a bone barrier between the things and us. They bounced off the magic. 

"Join us."

"Join us."

"Join us."

"No!" Frisk barked.

"That's a shame."

"Become one of us!"

"Lorem ipsum docet."

Frisk and I both looked at each other, and then back at the third. "Seriously? Filler text?"

The third laughed and all three disappeared.

"What was that?"

I shook my skull. "I have no idea. Come on. The primer is in here." 

Frisk held up the flashlight for me, and I activated the primer. Some of the emergency lighting came on and Frisk put down the flash light. I stopped for a minute, catching a look at her left arm. I took it in my hand, looking it over. 

"What's wrong?"

I glanced up at her. "You don't see it?"

"See what?"

I frowned. "Whatever those things where, the attack they used hurt you magically. You don't feel any different?" 

She shook her head. "Hungry, maybe?"

"That's not a good sign." I let go of her arm. "Turn around and I'll get some monster food out of your pack. That should fix it." 

She turned and I found a cinnamon bun in the front pocket. I handed it to her and she munched on it as we headed back to the main elevator. A second light was lit on the doors. Taking a moment, I looked over her arm and the damage I'd seen was gone, healed by the monster food. I led Frisk around the other side of the elevator and we came into a room with multiple empty beds. 

"What was she doing down here?" I whispered.

Frisk pointed to a folder left on one of the beds. She picked it up, using her flashlight to illuminate the pages inside, and read aloud.

"ENTRY NUMBER 5: I've done it. Using the blueprints, I've extracted it from the human SOULs. I believe this is what gives their SOULs the strength to persist after death. The will to keep living... The resolve to change fate. Let's call this power... "Determination.""

Frisk looked up at me. "She did something to the souls."

I rushed over, looking over her shoulder at the text and read the next part aloud.

"ENTRY NUMBER 6: ASGORE asked everyone outside the city for monsters that had "fallen down." Their bodies came in today. They're still comatose... And soon, they'll all turn into dust. But what happens if I inject "determination" into them? If their SOULS persist after they perish, then... Freedom might be closer than we all thought."

"ENTRY NUMBER 9: things aren't going well. none of the bodies have turned into dust, so i can't get the SOULs. i told the families that i would give them the dust back for the funerals. people are starting to ask me what's happening. what do i do?"

Frisk frowned. "Where are entries seven and eight?"

I frowned. "The entries skip again. Look:"

"ENTRY NUMBER 12: nothing is happening. i don't know what to do. i'll just keep injecting everything with "determination." i want this to work."

"ENTRY NUMBER 13: one of the bodies opened its eyes."

"ENTRY NUMBER 14: Everyone that had fallen down... ... has woken up. They're all walking around and talking like nothing is wrong. I thought they were goners...?"

"ENTRY NUMBER 15: Seems like this research was a dead end... But at least we got a happy ending out of it...? I sent the SOULS back to ASGORE. And I called all of the families and told them everyone's alive. I'll send everyone back tomorrow. : )"

"ENTRY NUMBER 16: no No NO NO NO NO"

Frisk looked at me. "What if those things are dead monsters injected with determination?"

"I think they are." I tapped a phalanges against my mandible. "What blueprints did she use to extract...? Oh no."

"What?"

I looked down at Frisk. "The only other person who would make blueprints of any sort in here would have been me, but I don't remember drawing up plans for anything that would extract something from a human soul. We need to find Paps. He might remember."

Frisk shoved the file in her backpack and followed me as I made for the next primer. The corridor, which had been filled with lockers for the employees of the lab in my time was now just a wall of mirrors. A line of counter tops had been installed against the other wall and plants of all types languished in the dark. Frisk stopped, looking at her reflection in one of the mirrors, and then immediately jumped back as a bird like monster that looked to be several monsters fused together came out at her. It opened it's maw and a screech of multiple voices talking at the same filled the air with unintelligible jabber. When the screech turned into a scream, a mass of moths flew out of its mouth.

I put a barrier of bones between Frisk and the moths, protecting us from the moths' touch. They sizzled and disappeared in wisps of smoke. I had a bad feeling that if those things touched us, we'd be in a load of trouble. 

"What monsters are in there?" 

I looked the bird thing over. "It looks like an Astigmatism, Final Froggit, and Whimsalot. Final Froggits are easily confused by mysterious actions." I raised a hand and traced magical sigil in the air. It glowed golden for a moment, simply looking flashy, and not really doing anything. The screeching stopped and moths stopped pouring out of it's maw. 

"The other ones?"

"Whimsalot can be distracted with prayer."

Frisk immediately folded her hands, head bowed. "May all beings everywhere plagued with sufferings of body and mind quickly be freed from their illnesses. May those frightened cease to be afraid, and may those bound be free. May the powerless find power and may people think of befriending one another..."

As her words filled the air, the bird thing settled down, it's agitation falling away, before it melted back into the mirror, disappearing.

"Oh... Oh Alphys... What have you done?" Frisk whispered.

"More importantly, how did she do it?"

Frisk turned to me. "What do you mean?"

I frowned. "Alphys is a brilliant roboticist. Because of that, she's been able to run this place by herself without assistance. If she needs someone to do something she builds any number of robots to handle it. Working with souls has never been part of her expertise."

"If that's the case, why loan her the human souls? And where are the robots?"

"Those are very good questions."

Frisk folded her arms across her chest. "You said that you worked on ways to open the barrier in here."

"Correct."

"And you were the Royal Scientist like Alphys is now, right?"

I nodded.

"What if Asgore is under the assumption that Mettaton isn't a ghost in a robot body? What if he thinks Alphys put a monster soul in robotic vessel and gave her the Royal Scientist job thinking she might be able to do something with the human souls to open the barrier?"

My jaw dropped open. "That... would make a lot of sense."

Frisk's mouth set in a straight line, eyes determined. "Let's get the power back on and find everyone."

"The next closest primer is in ventilation." I motioned for her to follow me. "This way."

Heading back into the room filled with beds, we made a sharp right into the upper hallway and another right to ventilation. The fans were off and a fine dust floated in the air. Frisk stopped to pull a bandana out of her pack to cover her mouth and nose before we went in. I flipped the switch for the primer and the fans kicked on, blowing the dust away. And several large particles hidden among the dust coalesced into a massive, five legged dog with a black hole for a face. It slowly stalked toward us. 

Frisk reached out slowly, and petted the side of its neck. It vibrated excitedly, bounding up against her. She fell backwards on her rump and the dog thing flopped on top of her, waiting for more pets. It nuzzled her happily as she continued to pet, moving off of her only after it was satisfied. I pulled Frisk to her feet as the dog thing walked in a circle and laid down to nap. After watching it for a moment, we both shrugged, and headed back down the hall. 

Heading into the room at the far end of the hall, we found a massive machine shaped like an animal skull. Undyne was kneeling next to one of the strange monster conglomerations, comforting it. Paps was inspecting the machine.

"Paps?"

"AH! YOU FOUND US, MY BROTHER!" He lovingly caressed the machine. "SUCH A MARVEL. ALPHYS HAS TRULY IMPROVED UPON THE ORIGINAL DESIGN!"

"You remember this?"

"THIS IS THE DETERMINATION EXTRACTION MACHINE. IT EXTRACTS DETERMINATION DIRECTLY FROM A SOUL."

"But you knew what would happen if you used it on a human soul," Frisk pointed out.

"INDEED. AND I DIDN'T HAVE HUMAN SOULS TO WORK WITH. INSTEAD, THE ORIGINAL MACHINE EXTRACTED DETERMINATION FROM ANIMAL SOULS. THE RESULTING EXTRACTION WAS MEAGER AND THE END RESULT WAS THE CREATION OF OUR BLASTERS."

Frisk cocked her head to the side. "Blasters?"

I waved my hand, opening a portal, and pulled through the oldest and most loyal of my Gaster Blasters. He immediately cuddled up, looking for pets. "These guys. We have eight of them. They like the cuddles. This one is Caleb."

Frisk blinked. "His skull is massive! How does an animal get that big?"

"HE WASN'T ORIGINALLY. HE WAS OF A NORMAL SIZE WHEN WE FOUND HIM IN THE FORESTS DEEP BELOW THE CLIFFS OF SNOWDIN. THE PROCESS OF THE EXTRACTION COALESCED CALEB'S BULK INTO THE MASS OF HIS SKULL."

She reached out, and was pleasantly surprised when Caleb bumped his boney snout under her hand, seeking contact. "And you did that willingly?"

"I WAS UNAWARE THAT THIS WOULD BE THE EFFECT OF THE EXTRACTION. HAD I KNOWN, I MIGHT NOT HAVE UNDERTAKEN IT. AS COMPENSATION, I AT LEAST KNOW THAT I WILL NEVER LOSE ANY OF MY BELOVED PETS."

Frisk looked at Undyne and the two legged mermaid shrugged.

I stared up at the machine. "Well, now we know where all of Alphys robots went. She dismantled them to build this thing."

Papyrus pointed to the monster conglomeration Undyne comforted. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT THOSE ARE, MY BROTHER? UNDYNE SAYS THAT ONE CONTAINS THE SISTER OF SHYREN."

Frisk frowned. "We found some of Alphys notes. She extracted Determination from the human souls and then injected it into several monsters who had fallen down. But why did they all melt together?"

Papyrus nodded. "THEN THEIR STATE MAKES SENSE. MONSTERS' PHYSICAL FORMS CANNOT HANDLE DETERMINATION LIKE HUMANS' CAN. A MONSTER'S BODY WILL BREAK DOWN AND BEGIN TO MELT. THEY MAY HAVE BEEN TRYING TO HOLD EACH OTHER TOGETHER WHEN THEY BECAME FUSED."

Undyne continued to sooth the amalgamation of monsters in her arms. "So now what?"

"Turn on the power and find Alphys." Frisk looked to me. "All the primers are ready, right?"

"Yes."

"Lead on."

Back at the door to the main elevator, all four lights were lit. "This is the main elevator for the Lab. It goes all the way up to the Dreemurr residence in New Home. A short cut for the King and Queen whenever they felt like visiting the Lab. It has a side doorway that leads to the generator." I opened the door and we went through the elevator's side door to the pitch black hallway that led to the generator. 

Frisk pulled out her flashlight, shining it down the hall. A pile of papers were strewn across the floor. I knelt to gather them, looking them over. The majority were notes on the Determination model that Alphys made based on what she'd extracted from the human souls and three lab entries. I read them aloud. 

"ENTRY NUMBER 19: the families keep calling me to ask when everyone is coming home. what am i supposed to say? i don't even answer the phone anymore."

"ENTRY NUMBER 20: ASGORE left me five messages today. four about everyone being angry. one about this cute teacup he found that looks like me. thanks asgore."

"ENTRY NUMBER 21: i spend all my time at the garbage dump now. it's my element."

Frisk sighed heavily. We continued into the generator room. Frisk held the flashlight up for me while I started the generator. The lights kicked back on as the generator started up. Frisk blinked at the light for moment before something caught her attention. Walking over to the generator, she looked at inside the little window.

"Is that... a human soul?"

I immediately looked over her shoulder. Inside was a dull, crimson heart. I felt nothing from the soul and it didn't seem to have any spark. It was simply in containment. "We only have a record of eight humans ever falling and you're one of them. So who is this?"

"It's the soul I tried to make with the extracted determination."

We whipped around to see Alphys hiding in the corner. She was huddled up in a ball. We'd walked right past where she'd hidden in the dark.

"It's not alive and never was. It's just the left over power from the other souls coalesced. I put it in the generator to contain it."

Frisk went over to Alph, sitting next to her. She put an arm around my favorite dino, pulling her close. I expected Frisk to say something, but she just held Alphys while the dinosaur sobbed.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen  
(Frisk is our narrator!)

Undyne helped Alphys to her feet. "Come on. We need to get the monsters down here home. There's no reason for them to be cooped up down here." She looked to Papyrus. "Would you give us a hand?"

"OF COURSE."

Bones held out his hand to me and I took it. I looked to the hallway and saw one of the merged monsters there, peeking in at us sadly. I looked up at Bones and found him waiting on me.

"The elevator down the hall goes directly to Asgore, right?"

He nodded. "Do you have a plan?"

"The plan is to talk him into letting me see the souls so I can talk to them. Maybe I can convince them to open the barrier." I looked down for a moment, thinking. "I guess it's time to call Az."

Bones cocked his skull to the side. "You sound a little off put by that. Any reason why?"

"I just realized we hadn't told him we'd left."

Bones smirked. "I'm sure he won't be too put out." He nodded toward the door and we headed for the elevator. "You are famous after all."

My jaw dropped. "You are a dead man!"

He snorted. "That's only because I refuse to run." He hit the button for the elevator and we stepped inside.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "I don't know if I should consider that lazy or foolish."

He shrugged, hands in his pockets as he leaned back. "Probably both."

The elevator door opened on a gray, brick corridor. Walking down the path revealed a balcony overlooking a massive city in a very old, but aesthetically pleasing style. Monsters filled the streets, walking here and there between car traffic... actual car traffic. I stood for a while staring at the variety of monsters below. A group of school children pointed up at me, and began waving with all their might. I waved back and got happy squeals in response. I followed Bones as he leisurely strolled along. 

We turned a corner and in front of me was a house almost exactly like Asriel's. A glowing star crystal sat on the path before the door and I stopped to touch it before following Bones inside, letting the wave of determination wash over me. No one appeared to be home, but a note hung on a chain locking the way down the stairs. 'If you need to talk, I'm in the throne room. The key is in the kitchen.' C burst to life on my shoulder, looking around as I walked.

"You all right, C?"

"Yeah. Someone else's memories and all."

I nodded and headed into the kitchen. The key rested on the counter on top of multiple different recipes for cinnamon butterscotch pie. Huh. Asgore has a favorite food and one he had trouble duplicating. Good to know.

On my way back out to the stairs, C pointed to the hall. "Go in the first room please."

"Okay." I went in and found two beds and a room filled with toys, storybooks, and old textbooks. 

C pointed to the dresser and the golden, heart shaped locket that rested there. "Take that and wear it."

"Are you sure it's okay to do that?"

"It belonged to Chara Dreemurr and I won't let him be forgotten. Put it on."

I slipped the chain over my head, relieved that it came to rest far below C's chip. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine." He disappeared from my shoulder, heading back into the cabin in my head. 

Heading back to the chain, I unlocked it, and felt a little ridiculous doing so. I could have just lifted it and walked under. I paused for a moment and turned, looking for something and not finding it.

"Something wrong?" Bones asked.

"Yeah. No pictures. Not any. Monsters have access to cell phones, cars, and hell, your entire society runs on magical electricity."

Bones nodded, smiling a little too proudly.

"Don't you have photography?"

He sighed. "We do. But..." He turned, looking at the empty walls. "Sometimes it hurts too much to remember the past and the family you lost."

I frowned and went down the stairs into a corridor similar to the one in Asriel's home. But instead of a set of massive doors, it lead into a hall of stained glass, glowing like gold as warm light poured in from what appeared to be a garden on the other side. I walked up to one of the windows, looking onto the garden and real sunlight. I craned my neck to see upward and could make out a hole in the cavern so high up and isolated as to be impossible to reach. Light streaming down from that hole providing a maddening and yet useless hope.

I turned to move on only to have Bones grab my hand. "Hold up a minute."

I looked up at him. 

"This is it. The end of the journey. In a few moments, you'll meet the king and determine the future of this world. You've walked this road, determined to see the end and, despite the fears of many, have proven to have a certain tenderness in your heart. No matter the struggles or hardships you faced, you didn't let them put you on a path of destruction for mere self preservation. Despite the LOVE you carry, you chose against adding to it, and in doing so, you gained real love."

He cocked his skull to the side for a moment. "Does that make sense?" He shrugged. "Maybe not." He pointed to the door. "In there is the greatest challenge of your entire journey." He took both of my hands in his. "If I were you, I'd have thrown in the towel. Found a nice place in the Undergound and called it my home. But you're unwillingness to give up means that monster kind gets to see the sun for the first time in centuries. We're all counting on you."

I sighed and hugged him, something he hadn't been prepared for by the shock before he hugged me back. I stepped away from him. "Just go get Asriel."

C appeared on my shoulder. "We've got this."

Bones shrugged and disappeared, teleporting away. I continued into the next hallway and found a large, open doorway into the throne room. A glowing star crystal waited on the floor next to the door. C disappeared from my shoulder as I touched the stone feeling my determination soar. I stepped through the doorway and into a room that was less a throne room and more a garden. A massive goat monster with a thick, yellow beard walked among the flowers, watering them. His golden armor glinted in the light while his long purple cloak dragged over the flowers around him.

I blinked a little, expecting to see something that reminded me of Asriel in King Asgore. The similarity in face was there, but his massiveness was not strength. Merely corpulence. The crown sat upon his head, but I felt no urge to kneel. This man was tired, lost, and still deeply grieving an incident that happened a very, very long time ago.

He hummed to himself before he noticed I was even in the room. "Is someone there? Just a moment while I finish up with the flowers." He turned. "There we go. Howdy! How can I..." The watering can clattered to the ground as the King of all Monsters backed up, eyes wide. "Chara...?" 

He blinked shaking his head. "Oh. I so badly want to say, "Would you like a cup of tea?" But... I'm sure you know how it is. If you were the even the sixth to fall, I could have offered you a home here. But... You are the seventh. The seventh soul. The last one needed to open the barrier."

"Your Majesty--"

Asgore cut me off. "You know what we must do. When you are ready, come into the next room." The goat king turned and left via the door behind the throne. 

"So he wants a fight?" C huffed. 

"Apparently." I took off my backpack, resting it on the throne as I pulled a few things out. After stuffing monster candy and cinnamon buns in my pockets, I pulled out the piece of pie Asriel had given me, carefully unwrapping it.

"You're going to eat that in front of him, aren't you?"

"Yes."

C nodded. "Good."

I pulled out the knife I'd gotten from the Dummy and held it in one hand before following after Asgore.

He paced nervously in the next room. "How tense. Think of it like... a trip the dentist." He headed into the next room.

"Really? The dentist?" C growled. "Dentists don't generally murder their patients."

I shook my head. "He's not prepared for this. I'm pretty sure it's been so long since he's seen a human that he thinks I'm a child. For a moment there, I'm pretty sure he thought I was the original you."

"The striped sweater?"

"And the locket." I followed the king into the next room. Inside, it appeared to be a long tunnel that went on and on with daylight just on the other side. 

Asgore stared at the barrier. "This is the barrier. This is what keeps us all trapped underground. If... If by chance you have any unfinished business... Please do what you must."

I frowned. "We don't have to fight. The barrier will not open unless the seven human souls want it to open. I will be less then willing to help with that task dead."

Asgore's head and shoulders sunk, eyes closed in deep pain. "I know."

My jaw dropped. "You mean to keep all monsters in the Underground."

"If the barrier were to open, I would need to make good on my declarations of war against humanity. A war I know we would lose. It is better to stay here and monsters to remain safe." 

Seven vessels rose from the floor. Six of them held a human soul. The seventh waited for me. 

"Human, it was nice to meet you. Goodbye." A glowing, red trident taller than him, appeared in his hand. He lifted it to strike.

I held up the cinnamon butterscotch pie and slowly ate it in front of him. He stood frozen in place, blinking as I licked the last crumb from my fingers. I used the moment to throw the knife, catching his hand and causing him to drop the trident. He howled, holding his hand as I ran forward. Kicking the trident out of reach, I grabbed his injured hand, pulling the knife from it, and leaping back. 

Asgore held out the uninjured hand and the trident flew to it. He swung for me and I ducked it, rolling in the opposite direction. The trident came back at me and I jumped forward, rolling between his legs. I grabbed his cape as I came up, jumping on his back to throw it over his head. He stumbled and I took the opportunity to grab him by the horns and use my weight to pull him to the ground. He let go of the trident again and this time I picked it up, dragging it out of the room and around the corner.

I came back in to find him ripping his cape off. Some long dead fire kindled in his eyes and he slammed one fist into the palm of his other hand, rolling his shoulders as he came at me with a punch. I ducked it and pushed his other arm aside as it came around. I jammed the knife in his knee and he hissed as I pulled it out, leaning heavily on the other leg. He lifted his arms to grab me and I kicked the other knee as hard as I could, sending him to the floor. 

Asgore grabbed my ankle and pulled, throwing me further into the room and against outer most edge of the barrier. I smacked it hard and popped a piece of monster candy as I stood. I fell into stance and waited for him to get to me, taking the moment to relax a little and let the monster candy do it's job. There was one thing I couldn't do and that was trade blows with him. One punch would be enough to take me out. I needed a way to get him down and keep him down.

"I could do with some suggestions, C."

"That's only show armor. You can do a whole lot of damage to him if you get it off of him."

I nodded once. "Got it."

"Incoming fire magic."

A line of fire balls came me and I ducked under them. He reached back with one fist to strike me and I leaned back, using my moment to slide by him. Scrambling to my feet, I jumped on his back again, finding the straps of his armor and slicing them on either shoulder, careless as to whether or not I injured him. The armor hit the ground as he grabbed my sweater and tossed me again, though with no where near the force he could, into the near wall. Another round of fire balls came at me and I quickly covered my face, rolling on the floor to avoid getting caught. 

I shoved the knife in a pocket in order to pick up a piece of the fallen armor. Using it like a war shield, I smashed into Asgore, knocking him back. I stepped forward, holding onto the straps, and swung with all I had, cracking him in the head and sending him to floor. I stood there for a moment, breathing heavily and waiting to see if he would get back up. When he didn't move, I dropped the breastplate and let out a long sigh.

"Ah. So that is how it is." Asgore pulled himself into a sitting position, but made no move to attack. "I remember the day after my wife died. The entire underground was devoid of hope. The future had once again been taken from us by the humans."

"No. That wasn't your future. Your sons were your future and you've gone out of your way to erase their existence. With the exception of the oldest monsters in the Underground, no one remembers Asriel and Chara. How could you? How could you do that to them?"

"I..."

I threw my hands up in frustration. "You're people have been living under the influence of human culture for centuries with just the things they've found in the dump! You could have easily said that the war was over at anytime and that any human who came here would be treated as a friend, to show humans that you're presence was a boon to the world. Instead, you went out of your way to harm the human souls so they'd never want to give your people the freedom they deserved!"

I sat down with a thump on the floor. "How am I going to convince them to open the barrier?"

"Take my soul, and leave."

I sighed. "I'm not doing that."

"After everything I have done, you would rather stay?" He smiled a little. "Then I promise, for as long as you remain here, I will take care of you as best I can."

Asriel huffed from the door. "She isn't a child, Father. And as far as strays go, I've already taken her in."

"Hey!" I turned to glare at him and instead blinked. He'd ditched the comfortable hoodie and jeans for black slacks, a white dress shirt, and a dark purple vest with the Delta Rune over the heart. The prince had returned.

Asgore stared up in wonder at his son. "Asriel...? Is it really you?"

Asriel came in, offering his father a hand up. "I'm Asriel as it gets."

I snorted, but Asgore only smiled sadly. "Still taking after your mother, I see." He stood with the help.

Bones reached under my arms from behind, lifting me to my feet. "How did his trident get out in the hall?"

"I dragged it out there so he couldn't summon it back."

"Nice."

Undyne ran into room. "Wait! Don't fight him..." She stopped looking at us before her eyes fell on Asriel. She trembled, eyes wide with a strange kind of wonder. Her eyes closed and she knelt to him, one webbed hand over her heart.

"I guess we all know our king when we see him," Bones whispered. I looked up at him for moment, but his eye was on Undyne.

Asriel turned to the vessels. "Bones briefed me on what's happened to the souls. I'll talk to them."

Bones looked me over. "You all right?"

I nodded. "He tossed me around a bit, but nothing I hadn't seen in training." I looked around him to Undyne. "Hey, Sushi Roll. You can get up."

Her voice trembled deeply. "Who is he?"

"That would be Prince Asriel, the heir to the throne," Bones answered.

"Why do I...?"

"Yeah. I felt that way too the first time I saw him."

I looked up at Bones. "Did you kneel?"

He smirked. "I was carrying you at the time so all I could manage was to bow my head."

"How's Alphys?"

Undyne bobbed her head a little, lips pursed. "Okay, for the most part. We got the all of the amalgamated monsters back to their families. Papyrus was very helpful in explaining to everyone what had happened. But really, everyone is just happy to have their loved ones back alive." 

"Where are they now?"

"On their way here. I used the Royal Guard's way through to get here faster."

I looked to Asriel as he spoke quietly with the six hearts that floated in front of him. It didn't take much to realize that, despite his soft words, he was giving a tongue lashing to one of them, likely Hector. After a while, the goat grew quiet and turned to me. "Are you ready?"

I glanced at Bones and Undyne for a moment before nodding and stepping forward. 

Asgore reached out, putting a hand on his son's arm. "We are not ready for this."

"No. We are long past ready."

"The war..."

Asriel frowned deeply. "From the reports I've heard, never existed. It is time for the barrier to fall." Asriel took my hand as six souls gathered around me, and pressed my palm against the barrier. He muttered some incantation under his breath a golden glow surrounding him and then myself and the souls. There was a bright, white flash, and the barrier cracked down the middle before disappearing completely. A portcullis engraved with the Dreemurr family's crest covered the cave entrance that now loomed in front of me. Asriel let go of my hand and motioned me forward. "Go on."

I walked up the path to the mouth of the cave and looked out on a late afternoon sky. I stepped out of the cave onto a path that overlooked the forest between Mt Ebbot and St. Canard City. Asriel came up to stand next to me, his long hair picked up in the slight breeze. Bones came out next followed by Papyrus, who bowed deeply to Asriel, though he didn't seem to be as overwhelmed as Undyne had been. Speaking of Undyne, she came next, Alphys trailing behind her, doing her best to hide from Asriel's gaze. Asgore came last, standing behind his son.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Asgore sighed.

Alphys blinked at the light. "It's even better than on TV. Better than I ever imagined."

Undyne leaned over to look at me. "Frisk, you LIVE with this?!"

I nodded.

She smiled. "The sunlight is so nice and the air is so fresh!"

"HEY, SANS. WHAT'S THAT GIANT BALL?"

Bones rolled his single visible eye. "Oh, don't start. You know exactly what that is."

"NYEH HEH HEH!"

Asriel sighed. "As beautiful as it is, we need to think on what comes next."

Asgore nodded. "Indeed. Frisk, I have something to ask of you. Will you act as our ambassador to the humans?"

I blinked at him. "I have absolutely no skill in such a thing."

"Her people skills are rather limited," Asriel mused. I elbowed him in the side and only got a chuckle in response.

"FRISK!" 

I whipped around, pushing past everyone to rush into my mother's arms. 

"Oh, Thank God! You're alive!" Mom leaned back to take my face in her hands, stroking my hair for a moment, before hugging me again. As I pressed my face against her shoulder, I heard the weapons come up.

I looked up, glaring at the soldiers behind mom as I stepped away. "WEAPONS DOWN! SAFETIES ON! THAT'S AN ORDER!"

They immediately complied. "Ma'am? We have standing orders to contact command after we found you."

I nodded. "Then do so."

He glanced to the monsters behind me. "Uh... What do I say about... them?"

My former CO came up from behind the group. "You don't need to say anything. I'm right here." He looked at the monsters for a moment and then back to me. 

I snapped to attention. "Sir."

"Your mother uses a phone number she shouldn't have to light a fire under my ass about you being missing and when I find you, you've fulfilled an ancient prophecy."

I smiled. "It's been an eventful few days."

He leaned in a little, the corner of his mouth quirking up a bit. "There's a smile I haven't seen in forever. So which one do I talk too?"

I turned, looking at Asriel and Asgore. Asgore put his hand on his son's shoulder. "Go on, Son."

Asriel patted his hand and walked over to us. "I am Prince Asriel Dreemurr. I will handle all negotiations for the foreseeable future." He held out his hand to shake.

My CO took his hand. "General Johnathan Cowen. The legend says that monsters come back after a time of great strife and if you've got even a quarter of the strength legend says you have, we could certainly use it."

"Frisk told me that you've just recently come out of war. Find my people a place on the surface, I can help you secure a less conflict prone future."

My CO nodded. "If you can take a few more days underground we can start arranging relocation." 

Asriel raised an eyebrow. "Only a few days?"

"We've got a stable population here, but not a large one. After the war..." My CO shook his head. "There's plenty of room in a lot of places and empty neighborhoods that need filling." He looked to me. "I will see you at 0800 tomorrow..." He sighed at my mother's glare. "1200 tomorrow for a debrief." He turned back to Asriel. "The area between here and the city limits is mostly forest, so we don't have to worry about too much contact between humans and monsters until we can make a public announcement of your return. I'll come here with the appropriate people to speak with you tomorrow afternoon."

I frowned. "Sir."

"Yes, Church?"

"The original reason I was even on the mountain was because I was offered a substantial amount of money to investigate several disappearances. That offer came in on a secure line. Did you send me up the mountain for this?"

He frowned, shaking his head. "No. I had no idea you were anywhere other than your mother's house when she called. I'll have ops check your phone history."

I nodded and mom grabbed me, hugging me close again. She didn't let go until my CO and his detail had left. "I've spent the last five days on this damn mountain searching and praying that you hadn't walked up here because that's what people did when they wanted to disappear. They just walk up the mountain."

"Mom..."

She kissed my face, her hand running over C's chip. She turned my head to look at it, fingers running along the lines of the implant. "What is this?"

"A long story." I took her hands in mine. "I swear, I didn't walk up the mountain to die. But I almost did and Asriel saved my life." I pulled her along. "Come on. There's some very wonderful friends I'd like you to meet."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Reiken was the reader who made the specific request to see Church's original run in the Underground. While I resisted writing it for a bit, I finally just dove in, and liked how it turned out. I hope you like it just as much! :)
> 
> Leave me a comment to let me know you liked the story and thank you to everyone who took the time to say something!


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